


A Year in a Day

by Writers_Muse



Series: A Year in a Day Collection [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A LOT of Angst, Adrinette, Aged-Up Character(s), Akumatized Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Akumatized Main Character(s), Akumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng, All The Ships, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Future, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, But With Angst, Chapter 18 explicit, Character Death, Death, Don't worry they don't stay dead, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Sexual Content, Explicit content in Chapter 25, F/M, Finally, Groundhog Day AU, Happy Ending, Heavy Angst, I may have given Nooroo non-canon powers, I'll add more tags as necessary, I'll mark the explicit section, Identity Reveal, Implied/Referenced Character Death, LadyNoir - Freeform, ML Spoilers Season 1, ML Spoilers Season 2, ML Spoilers Season 3 (through episode 2), Mariblanc, Marichat, Marriage Proposal, Non-Explicit Sex, Oral Sex, Original Akuma, Sexual Content, Vaginal Sex, Violence, ladrien, ml spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-02 00:57:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 75,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17254628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writers_Muse/pseuds/Writers_Muse
Summary: After a reveal gone wrong and a serious argument, Marinette and Adrien are hardly on speaking terms.  Unfortunately, the most difficult Akuma they've ever encountered appears.  Completely worn out by the stress of their situation and the lack of sleep they're both suffering from, they're unprepared for a confrontation with Hawkmoth in the flesh.  They've lost their miraculouses and are about to lose their lives, but Tikki and Plagg take desperate measures to change the events leading up to their demise.  However, there are challenges to the kwamis' success- specifically, that in getting a "do-over," they have limited chances to get things right, and with every passing failure, are finding themselves closer and closer to the permanent cementation of a very tragic and horrifying reality.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is kind of like a Groundhog Day AU (which, I'd just like to say, is impossible to find) but with a much darker twist. Marinette and Adrien have found out each other's identities under less than ideal circumstances, and as a result, a series of events comes to pass that lead to their defeat at the hands of Hawkmoth. Tikki and Plagg have the chance to fix things, though, by preventing the tragedy from ever occurring. Of course, the odds are against them. Every attempt they make to change reality results in failure, and their chances are running out. I don't have this fic all planned out, and it's actually my first fan fiction work ever, so if you have suggestions or comments, please be kind! In addition, if you have ideas of ways in which Marinette and Adrien's reveals could go horribly wrong, I'm open to them all! I have some already in mind, but I'm not even sure how long I want this story to get, or how many chapters each scenario would take. All the same, if you have ideas, feel free to drop them in a comment! I'm only posting the first (short, non-betaed) chapter for now, but I have several others already written. If there's real interest, I'll keep writing more! If anything seems to pose a contradiction, or doesn't make sense, let me know! Thanks for reading!

**Day 0** : 

For what it’s worth, it wasn’t supposed to turn out this way.

At least, that’s what Marinette was thinking as she lay bleeding on the ground, her breath coming out in perforated gasps as her chest felt like it was collapsing in on itself.

It was all their fault- her fault- if only she had made more effort to fix things with Chat Noir, they might have been able to stop everything sooner.  They might have never ended up here.

Instead, they were both on the floor of Hawkmoth’s lair, broken and dying.

“MARINETTE!”

It was Tikki.  Poor, sweet Tikki.  Who would take care of her now?  What would Hawkmoth do to her? Would she survive this?

Marinette was entirely aware that _she_ would not survive this.  And, she wasn’t the only one.

A glimpse out of swollen, tired eyes at the figure lying sprawled on the floor on the other side of the cavernous room brought out a more intense level of panic in Marinette that she miraculously had not been feeling up to this point.

Chat Noir, unconscious on the ground, with a puddle of blood pooling beneath his form.  Taking great effort, Marinette’s gaze shifted up to the man standing above her. In his hands he held her earrings, Tikki buzzing around his head, alternatively begging him to give them back and threatening him if he went through with his goal.  Despite his apparent victory, however, he did not appear particularly triumphant. His expression seemed more accurately pensive and sorrowful than arrogant or satisfied.

His deep baritone voice reached her ears.

“I’m truly sorry, my dear.  I never meant for it to turn out this way.  Don’t worry. When it’s over, you’ll never know it ever happened.”

Marinette tried to respond, but all that came out were blood-filled coughs and sputters.  Hawkmoth crouched next to her and leaned over her body, reaching out with his empty hand to brush hair back out of her face.

“Shh, my dear.  Rest. It will all be alright soon.”

She wanted to get up.  She wanted to fight. But her body refused.

She tried to lift a hand up to reach for her earrings, but the only physical evidence of this effort was a miniscule twitching of her fingers.

And then Hawkmoth was standing, turning slowly and walking over to Chat Noir, who was still transformed but still unmoving.  Marinette’s heart broke when the thought occurred to her he may never wake up. Her only consolation was the fact that his transformation meant he was still alive.  If he were dead, the tether between himself and his kwami would be severed, and the transformation would end.

Not that it mattered.  Most likely mortally wounded, Chat Noir- _Adrien_ , she thought as tears finally began to leak down the side of her face- would not be able to get up, much less save them both.  

She could still hear his agonized scream when Hawkmoth’s sword ran through her chest cavity, just as she could still feel the indescribable pressure and searing pain she experienced as the blade pierced her.

If only they hadn’t made those catastrophic mistakes.

 _Catastrophic_ , Marinette mused mournfully, clinging to anything fettering her to consciousness.   _Chat would have laughed_.

Not that he probably ever will again.

She couldn’t give up, not yet.  As she watched Hawkmoth leaning over Chat Noir to take his ring, she unconsciously attempted to reach out, still trying to protect him even as her breaths became even shallower and more labored.

“Cha-” she tried, but it was more of a wheeze.

And then there was a blinding green flash of light, and Adrien lay where Chat Noir was, still bleeding out, his golden hair like a halo around his angelic face.

Hawkmoth gasped audibly and took a step back, silver miraculous ring in his grasp.

“Adrien!  Adrien, kid, wake up!”

It was Plagg, frantically attempting to bring Adrien back to the land of the living, slapping his face, pulling his hair, darting excitedly at random around his head.  He was clearly distraught, but nothing worked, and the pool of blood underneath the boy’s body was twice the size it was before.

Hawkmoth, seemingly recovered from his initial surprise, was suddenly kneeling next to the young superhero, caressing his face with twitching, panicky fingers.

“Adrien-” he seemed to whisper in a choked voice.  “My Adrien….”

Marinette, barely holding on to consciousness, couldn’t understand the villain’s sentimental reaction.  Apparently, neither could Plagg.

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!” he screamed, darting in an instant from Adrien’s side to Hawkmoth’s face.  “I’LL DESTROY YOU!” And he held up his right limb. “CATA-”

But his call upon his power was interrupted by a flash of purple.  And, suddenly, sitting in Hawkmoth’s place was a tall, white-blond male, wearing red pants and a white fitted blazer, and he was cradling his face in his hands, his back and shoulders shaking with sobs that began to echo throughout the chamber.

Marinette had suspected him, and in coming to this room, in this house, she had a deep conviction of just who her arch enemy was, but nothing prepared her for seeing it for herself.

There, in the middle of a large, empty room, lit only by the giant, butterfly-shaped window, was Gabriel Agreste, and he was breaking down over the dying form of his only child.

The same child he himself impaled on his sword.

And for what?  Marinette still didn’t understand, but she suspected it had something to do with the giant glass coffin containing one Emilie Agreste.

Plagg hovered there, the very image of hate and rage, limb still raised and apparently ready at any moment to call up his destructive ability and turn Gabriel into dust.

Tikki was resting against Marinette’s face, tears flowing out of her giant blue eyes, gaze switching back and forth between Gabriel, Adrien, and Plagg.

“Plagg!  Don’t!”

For the first time Marinette had ever seen, the kwami of destruction glared at his counterpart.

“He has to pay, Tikki!”

“We can still fix this!” the kwami of creation responded, desperation clear in her voice.  “But we’re losing time!”

She turned her face down and softly kissed Marinette’s temple, though the young girl was losing her battle against the darkness, falling further and further away from reality.

“Gabriel!” the little red being called, pointedly ignoring Plagg’s raised threat and death glare.  “You can fix this! But you have to be willing to give up your original wish!” And she purposefully looked over at Emilie’s hibernating form, and back at the man responsible for all the chaos and pain.

He gaped at her, looking now at Emilie, now at Adrien, and back and forth again as though impossibly torn.

Marinette’s eyes drifted closed, her injuries too much for her to fight any longer, and her ragged breathing dissipated into almost nothing.

In a panic, Tikki cried, “It has to be now!  Gabriel, they’re almost gone!”

Plagg was hovering over the lower half of Adrien’s face, trying to ascertain his breathing, which was ultimately undetectable.  He looked to Tikki, distress clear in his expression. Determinedly, she flew up into Gabriel’s face, expression stony and cold, full of fury and resolve.  Blinking rapidly, Gabriel nodded and held out his hands, palms up, revealing the miraculouses resting within them.

“Put them on,” she instructed in a cold, hard voice.  Gabriel slipped on Plagg’s ring, then hesitated briefly before squinting his eyes and forcing the studs through his lobes.

“You foolish, insignificant human,” Plagg growled as he flew up to hover next to Tikki.  “You’re all so stupid, trying to make the universe bend to your will. If it takes the rest of eternity, I will make you pay for this in every life you ever live.  No matter who you become in your next life, or the life after that, I will curse your existence, and bad luck will be your constant companion. You will live to lose everything you ever love, every time, until you die and are born again, and it will start all over again.  Because I will never forget your soul, and I will make it my personal goal to follow it around like a karmic pestilence for all of time.”

Gabriel shuddered and quietly said, “Just tell me what to do.”

“You’ve done enough,” he pronounced, then flew up to touch an earring, holding out a limb to connect with Tikki’s and she dragged Gabriel’s ring-laden finger up in her grasp.  There, forming a link between the ring, Tikki, Plagg, and the earrings, the two kwamis shared a look before Tikki spoke up.

“Just focus now on what you want most.  Focus on Marinette and Adrien. Focus on this day.  The more you ask from the universe, the more it will take away from you in return.  Instead of asking for their lives, or to have never found the miraculous at all, you must simply wish for the chance to change the outcome of today.”  She paused. “Can you do that?”

Gabriel nearly nodded, but rethought that action at the last second.

“Yes.”

The kwamis tightened their grips on the miraculouses and each other, and closing their eyes, began to chant in a language no mortal had ever spoken.

Gabriel closed his eyes as well, focusing on the wish Tikki instructed him to make, when there was a flash of bright light.

The room fell away, the occupants as well, until there was only Tikki, Plagg, and the miraculouses in the void.

The void.  Where time and space cease to exist.  No up, no down, no thing, just the energy and emptiness out of which the kwamis were born.  The space between worlds and realities.

Emerging out of the nothingness, Tikki and Plagg felt rather than saw the fabric of reality, that which defined all shape and matter and substance, but had none of its own, like the laws of physics that govern all things, but remain intangible themselves.

Linking their limbs, Tikki and Plagg closed their eyes and accepted the energy exerted upon them.  This was by no means the first time the yin and yang of the universe had been brought to this place, but it was the first time they played a part in being brought here of their own volition.  The energy, a power born of the union of creation and destruction, but still separate from them, sensed this.

It understood what wish was being asked of it, and, being intangible, it imparted its judgment wordlessly, formlessly.  Intuitively, Tikki and Plagg grasped this judgment and accepted its terms, silently being transported out of the void and back to their natural plane of existence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now we see what events led up to Marinette and Adrien's major loss in the beginning, starting with a little misunderstanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got excited and thought it might provide more context to post this second chapter already. It shows some of the events leading up to what happens in chapter 1- how Marinette and Adrien ended up in conflict with each other.

**Day -1 (negative 1) pt 1** :

“I’m telling you Tikki, this is the day!” Marinette bounced around her room excitedly, nervously fingering everything from the Ladybug and Chat Noir dolls she made to the hemline of her trusty blazer, which she made sure to wear today.  After all, she may be Lady Luck, but she could use all the luck she could get, and it seemed like every time something good happened to her, she was wearing this blazer. (Come to think of it, it seemed like she was ALWAYS wearing the blazer, but that was beside the point.)

Tikki giggled merrily in her tiny, high-pitched tone, amused at Marinette’s nervous excitement.

“Adrien really adores you, Marinette!  I just know it’s going to work out!”

Marinette tried to calm her breathing as she stuffed the rest of her school materials in her bag, lifting up her clutch purse and holding the clasp open for Tikki to fly inside.

“Either way, Tikki, I’m gonna do it.  No matter what happens, I’m going through with this.  No regrets!”

Tikki gave her one last beaming smile before diving into the purse, and as Marinette settled her bag (and her kwami inside) against her hip, she took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

“Ok,” she said with determination.  “Let’s do this.”

She only stumbled two or three times on her way downstairs, which Marinette counted as a good sign.

Reaching the steps at the front of the school, she inhaled once again to steady herself, and, gathering up her inner strength, marched up the stairs.  Even if her hands were trembling slightly, she chalked it up to adrenaline and nerves and made her way forward without hesitation.

Alya was inside the front doors, waiting for Marinette when she arrived.  Giving her best friend a thumbs up, Alya enthusiastically exclaimed, “I’m so proud of you, girl!  You can do this!”

The encouragement warmed Marinette inside.  Four years of fighting as Ladybug had given her a lot of bravery, but even this was pushing her limits.  Four years, too, of admiring Adrien from afar- relatively speaking. She had made quite a bit of progress in the last three years, at least, having finally gotten over that awful stammer, and resolving to truly know Adrien the person, not Adrien the model.  After that first year of college, she decided to tone down her stalking, burning the chart of his schedule (what was she thinking?), and electing to put up far fewer, and much more personal, pictures of Adrien in place of the dozens of modelling shots she used to have hanging on her walls.  Now, she had images of all her friends, some including Adrien and some not, but all images of him were from outings they spent together, shots he was aware of her taking. Her computer background was a group shot of her closest friends- Alya, Nino, and Adrien, of course. And, most importantly, she acknowledged the fact that Adrien wasn’t a perfect, otherworldly, inaccessible dreamboat who could do no wrong.  It did them both a world of good.

Of course, her feelings for him changed, but only in the sense that they went from an obsessive, immature crush, to legitimate admiration, respect, and affection.  She liked his kindness and gentleness before, but she now loved his nerdiness and impatience. In addition to being sweet, he could be moody, and in addition to being selfless, he could be petty.  It was all part of the whole, and Marinette was glad to finally understand that. So, finally truly loving Adrien for _Adrien_ , she decided it was time to tell him once and for all, and accept his decision in return.  She could only hope, if he rejected her, they would remain friends because, more than anything, she loved him as one of her best friends.

She followed Alya up to their seats behind their favorite boys, taking a second to appreciate the glow of Adrien’s eyes and golden hair when he looked up at her as they passed.  Smiling softly, she waved, and he waved in return. Once settled in their seats, Marinette took a final breath of courage and pulled out her phone, tapping on the icon for her messaging app.

Opening up the thread with Adrien, she typed out a short message, hesitating only briefly before pressing send: _Can we talk at lunch?_

Adrien turned around to look at her questioningly, but she only gave him an amused glance in return, so he resumed looking forward.  Seconds later, her phone vibrated with a notification.

 _Yea, of course_.

Next to her, Alya squeezed her hand and whispered, “You got this.”

Marinette smiled back, determined to go through with her goal no matter what.

* * *

When the bell for lunch finally rang, she waited outside for Adrien, hands shaking slightly, but mostly calm and collected.

When his yellow locks first appeared around the corner, she pinched herself to keep her cool and waited for him to approach.

“Hey,” he greeted, coming closer.  “What’s up, is everything ok?”

“Yea, everything’s fine, I promise, I just had something I wanted to talk to you about.”  He nodded, looking slightly relieved. Had he been tense? “Actually,” Marinette continued, “could we maybe take a walk to the park?”

“Sure,” Adrien responded, and held out his arm for her to precede him.

They walked briefly in silence until they reached the park just down the street, Marinette coming to a stop and turning to face him as she began.

“Adrien, this is really hard for me so, if you could just, let me get it all out before you ask any questions or have a response, I’d really appreciate it.”  Understandably, Adrien looked nervous, but nodded.

“Ok,” she breathed.  “Adrien, we’ve become pretty good friends over the last few years, at least I think, and I don’t think you know how much I appreciate having you in my life.  So let me take this moment just to tell you how deeply I value your friendship.” She paused, taking in his expression of confusion, but he remained silent, waiting.

“When we first met, it was definitely an odd situation.  I made some incorrect assumptions about you, and I was so wrong.  I’ve never been so happy to be wrong about someone because you’ve become a real light in my life.  When you apologized that day and gave me your umbrella, I didn’t realize it at the time, but that was the moment when my feelings about you started to change.  I began to see you as a friend, but also as something more.” She cleared her throat.

“I ended up developing a really big crush on you, which is why I had such a hard time speaking normally around you, but the problem was, I didn’t really like you for all of you.  I had this idea in my head that you were this perfect, untouchable being, and I could never hope to be worthy of you. I won’t get into details of how misguided my crush on you was, but just know that I could never express how sorry I am for doing you the disservice of not truly seeing you.”  She paused again, watching as his face morphed from one of confusion to one of surprise, and even appreciation, before she continued.

“Once I decided I needed to allow you to _be human_ for lack of a better phrase, I let go of that childish infatuation and let myself see all of your quirks and your imperfections, and, Adrien, I love them all.  I see you, all of you, and I love you for it even more than I think I ever did. So, this is me, telling you that I have very deep feelings for you, Adrien, and I need to know if you feel anything, or could ever feel anything for me that is more than just friendship.”

It was out there, and there was no taking it back now.  Adrien gulped, the early signs of tears in his eyes, and cleared his throat.

“Marinette, you’re such a wonderful person, and I’m so glad to have you as one of my best friends.”  He stopped, wiping a tear from his eye as Marinette prepared herself for the worst.

“I do love you, Marinette, but not in the way I think you want me to.”

Marinette’s eyes snapped shut, and her head lowered to her chest as she fought against the tears tingling behind her eyes.  Taking a steadying breath, she looked back up at Adrien’s face, recognizing the tear tracks down his cheeks.

Mustering a little courage, she asked, “Do you think there’s any part of you that could begin to see me in that way?”

At some point during the exchange, he had grabbed her hands, and she was suddenly aware of that fact as he lifted them to his lips, brushing a kiss softly over her knuckles.  Her eyelids fluttered down at the sensation.

He lowered her hands softly and answered, “Marinette, I’m sorry.  I have feelings for someone else, and I just can’t even think of anyone other than her in that way.  You’re beautiful and lovely, and I love you, but I can’t imagine feeling that way about anybody but her.”

And just like that, Marinette felt like there was an ice pick jammed through her chest.  Of course Adrien already had someone else. It hurt her that he never told her, but it hurt her more that she never stood a chance against this faceless woman, who was probably funnier, smarter, more talented, and more interesting than Marinette could ever be.

Still, Marinette couldn’t be mad at him for his feelings.  No one can help how they feel. Resisting the urge to ask about her, she instead smiled, held up a hand to his cheek and said, “Adrien, it’s ok.  Really. More than anything, I’m happy to have you in my life.”

He smiled half-heartedly through tears.

“I really do love you, Mari.  I’m sorry I can’t love you like that.”

Marinette laughed somewhat bitterly.

“I know,” she responded.  A beat passed and she added.  “Maybe one day we’ll all get to meet her.  She’s a lucky lady.”

Adrien laughed lightly and absentmindedly mumbled, “They do call her Lady Luck.”

Marinette’s face froze, causing Adrien to frown for a second before looking slightly panicked.

“Mari, I-”  
  
“Are you serious?” the stunned girl asked in barely a whisper.

“Mari, I know what that sounds like-”  
  
“Ladybug?  You’re in love with _Ladybug_?”  Her jaw was somehow functioning to allow her to speak, even though it was all the way on the floor.

“Mari, look, it’s not-”  
  
“Are you _fucking kidding me_?”  Her voice started as a whisper, but escalated into an angry shout.  Adrien looked taken aback.

“Mari, I know it’s not-”

She ripped her hands out of his, drawing in a deep breath.  Deep inside, her stomach threatened to lurch, despite being empty.

“You don’t even _know her_.”  There was venom dripping from her words.

“Mari, I know it seems that way, but I know her better than you think-”

“Like hell you do!” she yelled.  He tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but she slapped it away.  

“I can’t really explain, but I swear, it’s true,” he tried, but Marinette knew his words were empty.

“I thought I knew you!  You’re just a shallow fanboy like all the rest of them.”  Adrien looked like he had been slapped. There were tears in his eyes again, his hands up by his face as he tried not to make the situation worse.

“Marinette, please, you have to believe me.”

“I do, I believe you,” she spat.  How was it that so many people could admire the hero, and no one wanted the girl underneath?  “I believe you’re just a shallow, vapid model after all. You make me _sick_.”  And she turned rapidly on her heel to run back to the school, but Adrien was quicker than he looked, and his arm was suddenly around her waist.  She spun in surprise and fury.

“Marinette, _please_ , it’s not that at all.  I swear- I’ll prove it to you, she’ll forgive me, just _please_ -”

But Marinette would hear none of it.  There was no way he could know and love Ladybug the way he said he did.   _She should know_.

In her hurt and anger, Marinette shoved him away from her, wrath clear in her eyes and snarled lips.

“ _Never. Touch me. Again_.”  She spun on her heel again and took off toward the school, where the bell to end lunch would surely be ringing soon.

Adrien could only stand there, mouth agape, hands on the spot on his chest where Marinette shoved him, and tears streaming silently down his cheeks.

_What have I done?_

* * *

Adrien strode slowly back toward the classroom, head low and eyes largely unseeing.  As he entered the room, he raised his head slightly, taking notice that Marinette’s seat was empty.  Next to her spot sat Alya, who looked at Adrien with a mixture of sadness and anger in her eyes. It was obvious that she had at least a clue of what happened.

Nino looked at him sympathetically as Adrien took his seat, sliding a paper across the table to his blond friend.

_Wanna talk about it?_

Adrien stared blankly at the message, grasping its meaning but unable to move or respond.  Nino took it back for a moment before placing it in front of him again.

_You look like shit, man.  What happened?_

Adrien numbly grabbed a pencil.  Unable to process it yet himself and incapable of putting it into words on a small slip of paper, he only wrote:

_Later_

Nino took this without question, nodding, as he returned his gaze to the front of the classroom.

* * *

 

The rest of the day passed in a haze.

After the dismissal bell rang, Adrien followed Nino automatically to the lockers, putting away what he didn’t need and taking what he did as though on autopilot.  In the back of his mind, he knew he had some activity after school (was it fencing? Chinese? he couldn’t remember at the moment), but he wouldn’t be able to focus anyway, so he sent a message to Gorilla and Nathalie telling them he didn’t feel well and he was going home.

Following Nino out to the steps, they waited, Nino patiently silent before saying, “Alya said Marinette went home.  I, uh, have a basic knowledge of what happened today, but Alya was vague on the details? She didn’t seem to know everything either, said she would get it out of Marinette later.  All I really know is that Marinette told you about her feelings, and it didn’t go well.”

Adrien said nothing.

“You don’t have to tell me now, or ever if you don’t want, but bro, I’m here for you, man.” And he punctuated his sentence with a comforting hand on Adrien’s shoulder.  “I know you’re not a bad guy, Adrien, and I trust you. Whatever is going on is probably a misunderstanding, and I’m sure Marinette has some part of the blame in it. If it makes you feel better, you can call and talk about it anytime.”

Adrien exhaled a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding.  Nino was an amazing friend like that, always having so much faith in the people he cared about.  Deep down, Adrien knew he didn’t do anything wrong, but on the surface, he knew how awful he looked.  Having feelings for a superhero was up there with a celebrity crush, and he had been on the receiving end of celebrity crushes often enough that he knew what it was like for a person to think they loved you when they didn’t know you at all.

To Marinette, of course it sounded awful.  It sounded like he rejected his best friend, who was definitely beautiful and wonderful, and who genuinely loved him for who he was, in favor of a famous face, someone he didn’t even know.

Of course, he _did_ know Ladybug, in a way that Marinette could never understand.  And, truthfully, if he didn’t love Ladybug first, he could see himself developing feelings for Marinette, but he couldn’t tell her that and suggest that she was anyone’s second choice.  That was worse than not being a choice at all.

It physically and emotionally pained him to think Marinette believed he would pick a celebrity crush over the real thing, especially when the real thing was her.  It made him sick to his stomach, and he was desperate to make her understand. Of course, the only way to do that would be to tell her who he was, and he nearly did in the park (it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, he figured, and Ladybug would probably forgive him if she knew the circumstances), but Marinette wouldn’t let him speak.  And how could he blame her? Everything he could say would only sound like excuses to her. He was also 90% sure she wouldn’t believe he was Chat Noir to begin with.

Gorilla arrived, and Adrien embarked on the car, turning around to wave goodbye to Nino before he settled in and closed the door.  Nathalie sat on the seat next to him, typing away on her tablet. Without looking up, she addressed him:

“Adrien, I’ve moved your activities to tomorrow after school, barring extended illness.  You’re to rest in your room for the rest of the evening so you can be ready to return to your normal schedule tomorrow.”  
  
Adrien looked out the window as people and buildings passed him by.

“Thanks, Nathalie.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other half of Marinette and Adrien's impending fall-out.

**Day -1 (negative 1) pt 2** :

Adrien couldn’t rest.  For five hours he moved about his room restlessly, surfing the internet aimlessly on his computer to distract himself, then reading through a random novel he found on the walls of bookshelves in the upper level of his room, then watching movies and playing video games as he lay upside down on his sofa.  Nothing helped to take away the sadness and the frustration, and the longer he allowed the itch of helplessness to fester, the more his feelings shifted toward anger.

Anger at himself, for making that frankly _stupid_ offhand comment.

Anger at Marinette for refusing to let him explain.

Anger at even Ladybug for refusing to let their relationship progress in any way, especially for preventing them from revealing their identities.  He so desperately wanted to tell her who he was because he wanted her to see _all_ of him.  After all- Chat Noir was really only one half, one extreme of his personality, even if it was the closer half to his true self.  He could be flirty and silly and over-the-top, but he could also be calm, relaxed, and a good listener.

Most of all, though, he was angry about misunderstandings, about the fact that he had to protect his identity, and the people he cared about, at all.  He understood the risk of revealing himself to society, but was it really so necessary to keep the truth from the people closest to him? If Marinette knew who he was, couldn’t this whole situation have been avoided?

As soon as it was dark enough, Adrien took advantage and called for his transformation, receiving very little resistance from Plagg, who had been uncharacteristically quiet and understanding the whole afternoon.

Leaping over rooftops proved to be the relieving sensation Adrien needed.  The cool air whipping past his face, the adrenaline spiking through his veins, the sound of metal on concrete, and the brightness of the city lights all around him.  He breathed the city in, heading for the place where he enjoyed most taking it all in.

When he reached the tower, he was surprised to see a red figure sitting on a beam.  As frustrated as he was, however, he knew that taking the situation out on Ladybug was unfair and would solve nothing, and he couldn’t find it in himself to do that.  Taking a seat next to her and ready with a practiced grin, Chat looked at his lady. His grin faltered when he saw that she had clearly been crying. Reaching up a tentative hand, Chat wiped some water out from under her eyes and cupped her chin.

“My lady?” he asked softly.  “What’s the matter?”

Ladybug gave him a watery smile and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“You’re so good to me, Chat,” she said without answering.  “What did I do to deserve someone like you?”

Chat was taken aback, scoffing slightly on reflex.

“On the contrary, my lady.  It is I who does not deserve you.”

Ladybug turned her head and looked at him in a measure of surprise.

“How do you do that?” she asked, wonder and awe in her voice.  “How do you always make me feel like everything is going to be ok?”

Chat looked down at his lap, laughing humorlessly.

“I’m glad, my lady.  Bad luck seems to follow me around sometimes.”  
  
“Well, misery loves company, apparently,” she responded dryly.  “I think it’s my turn to take a share of bad luck.”

Chat turned to look at Ladybug, but her gaze was far off in the distance.  Even with her red nose and eyes, with the snot dried on her face, and the tear tracks on her cheeks, Chat thought he had never seen a more beautiful sight.

“Come here,” he said, grabbing her hands and standing them both up on the girder.  Then, he pointed up and extended his baton, vaulting upward until he reached the observation deck, Ladybug following close behind with her yo-yo.

Using his claws, Chat Noir carved into a corner of a beam a yin yang with the initals CN in one half and LB in the other.  Ladybug laughed a little at his antics.

“There we are, my lady, immortalized forever in rusting metal until they replace the beam, buff it out, or the tower is inevitably destroyed.”  
  
She laughed a little louder.

“Thank you, Chat.  I love it.”

Chat’s breath hitched at the word “love,” which didn’t go unnoticed by Ladybug.  Her grin faltered slightly, and she turned away.

“Chat-”

“My lady,” he interrupted.  “Just hear me out, please.” She looked back at him and remained silent, waiting.  Taking a breath, Chat continued.

“I know you think I’m joking all the time, that I’m just a flirt, and I don’t mean any of it.  But I can promise you that I mean every word. You’ve had my heart since the day you fell out of the sky and tangled us up together in your yo-yo.  I love that madly clumsy girl, and I love the poised, graceful woman she’s become. You’re it for me, Ladybug. I’ve never known anyone as amazing as you, and I’ll never find another like you, no matter where I look.  Please give us a chance.”

Ladybug looked down with tears in her eyes.  “Chat-” her voice cracked. “Chat, I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but this really isn’t a good time.  I’ve loved someone else for four years, and I tried to tell him today.”

Tears fell increasingly down her cheeks, and she drew in a shuddering breath.  She looked at her hands, which were clasped, fingers fidgeting nervously.

“When I told him, he rejected me.  He said he was in love with Ladybug.”  
  
Chat Noir felt his heartrate increase.

“Can you imagine?  I _am_ Ladybug," she continued, hand gesturing out helplessly to the air and she raised her head, eyes darting off to the side at nothing as though searching for answers in the empty space around them.  "I really love him- _loved_ him,” she continued, unaware of the creeping heat in Chat’s face.  “And I really love you, too, just not in the way I think you want me to.”  Upon finishing the last sentence, Ladybug looked up to see Chat’s wide-eyed stare, mouth agape, and pupils shrunken into slits.

“What did you just say?”  It was barely a whisper.

Ladybug looked so sad, barely audible as she said, “I really do love you, Chat.  I’m sorry I can’t love you like that.”

The words hit Chat like a punch to the gut.  Suddenly the world was spinning, and Chat leaned over, unable to stay upright on his feet.  With one hand on the railing and one hand on his chest, he began to hyperventilate.

Ladybug’s concerned voice broke through.

“Chat? Chat! Chat, it’s ok, look at me.”

Chat tried, but he couldn’t focus on anything.  It was all a haze, moving slowly as though he was drunk.

“Chat, you’re having a panic attack, you have to breathe through it.”

Breathe?  Who decided breathing was a good idea?  It was so hard.

Chat tried to breathe slow and deep as Ladybug- _Marinette... Oh my God_ \- was doing, but it came out only in short gasps as he began to sob.

Ladybug rubbed Chat’s back as he doubled over, dry heaving and trying to breathe.  Eventually she brought a chair she found inside out to the deck and sat him in it, his head between his knees as he regained control of his breathing.

Slowly raising his head, Chat encountered an extremely concerned frown on Ladybug’s face, and disbelief reared its head at the same time that revelation did.  Because there she was, right in front of him- and had been behind him all along. Because he was looking at Ladybug’s face, but all he could see was Marinette, and the world was spinning again, but it was righting itself after having been out of whack for so long.  It was like the stars were lining up, it was cosmic, and it was too much for his brain to process.

Before he even realized he was doing it, Chat whispered, “ _Marinette_ -”

Ladybug’s eyes widened to saucers, and she abruptly backed away, unable to tear her gaze away from Chat’s face.

“What did you say?”  But it wasn’t really a question, at least, she didn’t expect an answer.  They both knew what he said- it was unmistakable.

Still, Chat inhaled deeply and said clearly, “Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Ladybug’s jaw dropped, because even though she didn’t expect him to answer, and even though she knew what he said and what it meant, she still experienced a severe shock at hearing those words come out of his mouth.

Gaping like a fish, Ladybug finally uttered (rather inarticulately): “How?”

To her dismay Chat began to chuckle, first humorlessly, then bitterly, then maniacally.  The wheels were turning in her head, but they were also turning in his.

Marinette confessed her feelings for him today, and he rejected her.

She admitted she once idolized Adrien Agreste, but had since come to love him for who he was.

She responded furiously when she realized he was in love with Ladybug.

She accused him of being a shallow fanboy.

She was Ladybug.

She’d been rejecting Chat for years.

In Adrien’s mind, this all added up to one darkly hilarious fact: Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a hypocrite.

Suddenly, he knew how she felt earlier, when she thought someone was confessing to loving a side of her that they couldn’t possibly know.

He knew what it felt like when someone said they loved you, but they weren’t talking about the real you.

He knew what it was like for someone to reject the truer half of who you are in favor of the superficial one.

Whereas minutes before Chat was hyperventilating, now he was laughing uncontrollably at the awful, horrible irony.  Looking at Ladybug, however, he knew she wasn’t catching on just yet, but she was clearly trying. He could see the gears turning in her head.

Trying to stem his, frankly terrifying, laughter, Chat stood up and walked slowly toward Ladybug, who had the presence of mind to back away slightly.

“Chat?” she questioned, her tone slightly fearful.

“Well, isn’t this just the funniest thing?”  Only, it wasn’t really said like a question, and Chat wasn’t really laughing anymore.  “Aren’t we quite the pair? You and me. Marinette... and her love interests.”

Ladybug’s eyes narrowed, trying to make connections but coming up missing a few pieces.

“You know, I get it now.  The anger, the indignation.  How could someone _possibly_ claim to love you when they don’t know you, right? Hm?”

Ladybug didn’t respond, but she continued to watch him with calculated concern.

“You know, when you said you loved me for me, I really believed you.”  
  
She couldn’t hide the surprise and confusion on her face, but the pieces were starting to click into place.

“And _then_ I find out, you’re no better than what you think I am.  You can call me _shallow_ and _vapid_ ,” at this her face dawned in recognition, “but I think we both know who’s the real _fan_ around here, _Princess_.”  Ladybug flinched.  “I’ve been chasing you for _years_ , and you have been rejecting me for _years_.”

“Because I was already in love with you!” she shouted, incapable of keeping it in any longer.  Secret identities obviously weren’t a thing anymore, anyway.

“You were in love with a robot!” Chat yelled back, infuriated at the idea that the person he was when he was Adrien was his true self.

“And what about you?!” Ladybug screamed.  “You’re in love with an idea! Who the hell do you think Ladybug is, exactly?  This mask comes _off_ after every battle, and there’s a real person who has to live a real life every day.”  Then she drew in a breath as though she just realized or remembered something. “And what is it you just said?  No matter where you look, you could never find someone as _amazing_ as I am?   _I’m_ not as amazing as _me_?!”  Her fury built up so far that she shrieked the last word, and Chat had the good grace to look mildly ashamed, anger notwithstanding.  Ladybug stilled except for a raised hand, finger pointing at Chat, seeming to rein in her hysteria as she began speaking in a cold, low voice.  “At least I got to know you before I tried to claim I loved you. You got to know me and still didn’t love me enough to outshine the idea of Ladybug.  The real girl, the girl behind Ladybug, she wasn’t good enough for you.”

Chat stood there in silence, digesting everything that was happening- how completely, horribly, _fucked up_ it all was.

“The real Adrien wasn’t good enough for you, either,” he finally replied.

Ladybug lowered her hand, breathing harshly.  “If you had asked me, I would have told you that I’ve seen bits of Chat in you, and I loved it all.  I just couldn’t consider Chat because I was already in love with Adrien.”

Chat swallowed, unsure what to say, but beyond confounded as to where to go from here.

“I’ll see you in class, and I’ll see you in battle, Chaton, but I don’t want to hear from you other than that.”

Chat straightened where he stood.  This was all wrong- he knew there had to be a way back from this, but his pride wouldn’t let him be the first to give in, to apologize.  She was, after all, just as wrong as he was, right?

It only took that brief second for Chat to allow his stubbornness to take over.

“Fine.  See you around.   _Bug_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter: the fallout continues the following day at school.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tension continues, and an akuma appears (you knew it was coming). Chat and Ladybug are headed for a reconciliation, but is it too late? (Of course it is, because you already know how this arc ends).  
> Also, there may be some gratuitous use of a non-canon-compliant Lucky Charm. Oh wells. I always wondered why a magical power couldn't call forth a magical charm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who wants a new chapter? I'm sitting on, like, 6, and it makes me antsy.

**Day 0 -12 hours (minus 12 hours)** :

The sun was barely up, and her alarm was blaring, but Marinette was already wide awake.  Truthfully, she hadn’t slept the entire night, too busy was she fighting against her own mind, and the restlessness of her imagination and her memory.

When she first got home and collapsed into bed, her first instinct was to cry, but, she found, she couldn’t.  She was, for all intents and purposes, completely cried out. More than sadness, though, she was angry- and confused.  She spent the better part of the night going over every interaction she and Adrien ever had, and every interaction she ever had with Chat, trying to put them together.  Now that she knew, she couldn’t unknow, and she couldn’t unsee Adrien’s face under Chat’s mask.

It deeply perturbed her just how much history she had with both boys- _the_ boy- it was too confusing.  From those first two days, with the gum incident, it was at the same time as Stoneheart.  When she kissed Chat on Valentine’s Day with Dark Cupid, it was Adrien. When Chat saved her as Marinette from Evillustrator, and Gamer, and every other akuma she encountered in civilian form, it was Adrien.  When she fawned all over Adrien and tried- and spectacularly failed- to talk to him like a normal human being, that was Chat. When Adrien was turned into a glitter statue by Style Queen, and Plagg helped her with his cataclysm, that was how Chat “lost” his miraculous.  When she met him on the night of Glaciator, and they both confessed to having unrequited crushes, they stood each other up for each other, and she was telling Adrien about her love for himself. And when she pretended to love Chat to prevent him from discovering her identity that time her father turned into Weredad, she was confessing love to Adrien (and he rejected her then too!).  The revelations were endless.

Every time she thought she had processed the information, she remembered something new.  And so, the night continued on, and Tikki, exhausted from the emotional roller coaster and her transformation, eventually drifted off to sleep, though Marinette could not.  She told Chat- Adrien- Chat- them- _him_ to leave her alone, but she didn’t really mean it.  She truly regretted the words, even as they were coming out of her mouth.  It made her sick to think of a life without Adrien, without Chat by her side, making her laugh and lighting up her world with his brilliant smile.

She meant it when she said that she could see the bits of Chat in Adrien.  She had even thought before how similar the two most important boys in her life could be at times, and how endearing those traits were- how happy it made her that the boy she loved reminded her so much of her kitty- and vice versa.

She was even ready to take the words back- she was fractions of a second away from doing it when he agreed.  Hearing him say those words- calling her _bug_ with such disdain instead of adoration like she was used to- renewed her resolve.  If she could take them back from ever being said, she would, but they were out, and he felt the same, apparently.  Tikki tried to tell her they needed to talk it out, and perhaps they would eventually, but the wound was so fresh, it was practically breathing.  The rational side of Marinette reasoned they both needed time and space before attempting to be civil again.

There was no question that it had to happen.  There was no way they could fight and defend Paris together when they were at odds with each other.  Surely their dynamic would suffer. In truth, they were probably incredibly vulnerable at the moment because of the discord.  She was sure in a few days, though, they would be able to talk it out as adults and come to some sort of agreement to mutually respect each other and move past it.  At this point in time, though, she knew even herself to be incapable of that.

The alarm continued to blare on, having been doing so for the last five minutes or so, so Marinette finally gave in and slammed the button to switch it off.  Turning over with a groan, she trudged languorously to the shower, hoping a torrent of steaming hot water would help with her exhaustion. Marinette was inhumanly weary.  As she reached the bathroom mirror, a gaunt face looked back at her with circles like charcoal under her bloodshot eyes, severe red rimming the lids, her skin pale as a sheet, and her hair frazzled as her nerves.

 _All the concealer in the world can’t cover up this train wreck_.

Grabbing a towel, Marinette turned away and headed to shower and get dressed.

* * *

 

Despite Nathalie’s concern over his health (thanks to his terrible appearance from lack of sleep), Adrien didn’t stay home from school.  Instead, he planned to go through with all of his obligations because staying home would only leave him too much free time to contemplate all the ways things went wrong, what he could have done differently, and what other ways he could fuck things up.

Part of him was still reeling that Marinette was his lady, but only because, honestly, it couldn’t have ever been anyone else, and how was he so blind?  He spent half the night trying to figure out why he didn’t see it sooner. The rest of the night he spent trying to forget all the awful ways he disappointed the love of his life, from never noticing her feelings for him, to rejecting her (more than once! Oh my God...), to basically telling her _no one_ was as good as Ladybug- including the girl under her mask.

He had never felt like such an ass all his life.

Adrien was no idiot.  He knew she made some mistakes, too, but she never treated Chat like he wasn’t _good enough_.  She always said she loved someone else, and she couldn’t consider anyone else because of that.  The fact that it was himself as a civilian- his less favorite half- was becoming more and more irrelevant by the minute because not only did she tell him during her confession that she loved all his flaws and quirks, but because she admitted during their fight on the Eiffel Tower that she had seen similarities between Adrien and Chat, and didn’t lose interest in him.  

Adrien was about ready to collapse at her feet right there and beg forgiveness, but then she said those words.

He would never forget the way her face looked, the way her voice sounded, the way he barely breathed.  She hurt him more deeply in that moment that in any other moment of the whole painful scene. And his stupid ego- his stupid pride that just had to win- made him act like he wasn’t even phased by it.  He _agreed_ he didn’t want to be around her any more than necessary.  The very thought, in reality, made him want to curl up in a ball and hyperventilate again.  Plagg spent the better half of the night trying to calm him down with purring, and Plagg hates affection.  At some point Plagg passed out on his pillow, and Adrien didn’t have the heart to disturb him, so he laid there until the first light of day began to streak through the sky, and he rose out of bed to shower and get dressed.  A ghostly face greeted him in the mirror. With dark circles and bags, red eyes and disheveled hair, he looked the picture of a strung out trauma victim. There wasn’t much he could do that would cover it all up, but he showered and dressed, doing his best to make his face appear as normal as possible.  When Nathalie came in, she took one look at him and offered to call the school to excuse him for the day. Tempting though it was, Adrien declined.

So, there Adrien found himself, climbing the front steps of the school without really seeing them.  He was practically delirious with fatigue but knew, even if he stayed home, he wouldn’t have been able to sleep.  He only hoped the day would be routine enough that he could coast by on autopilot, and he prayed to every God and kwami that ever existed that there were no akuma attacks that day.

When he arrived in the classroom, it was empty, so Adrien gladly lay his head on his arms to rest briefly before the day began, barely noticing Nino arrive some minutes later until there was a hand on his back and a quietly uttered, “‘Sup, dude.”

Sitting up slowly, Adrien greeted Nino to the best of his cognitively-impaired abilities.  One look at Adrien’s face, however, and Nino’s eyebrows flew straight to his hairline.

“Woah, dude.  You look like death.”

If he had the energy, Adrien would have laughed.

Instead, he barely had the reserves to respond, “Thanks, man,” before returning his head to his arms.

Nino sat quietly for a moment before offering: “So, I talked to Alya last night.”

Adrien’s grunt was almost indiscernible.

“She got the deets from Marinette.  I mean, I know you didn’t actually tell me what happened, but like, I thought you should know that I know, in case, I don’t know, you wanna talk about it, or... yea.”

Adrien turned his head to look at Nino, gathering the courage and energy to ask, “Do you want me to sit somewhere else?”  At this, he stood to gather his things, but he tottered some when he reached full height. Nino’s hand reached out to steady him.

“Woah, man, take it easy.”  And he supported Adrien as he lowered himself back down to the bench.

“I’m not judging or taking sides.  To be honest, I’m baffled that you would reject Marinette for a celebrity crush of all things, but I really think you _both_ fucked up.  If anyone’s upset other than Marinette, it’s Alya, but that’s to be expected, and I’m pretty sure she’s willing to accept that there are two sides to every story.  Still, man, I’m here for both of you, bros and all that, and that’s a conversation we can have another day. Today, let’s just take it easy.”

Adrien nodded slightly, seeming appreciative that the entire debacle could wait for another time.  Exhausted as he was, he couldn’t even hope to have the physical much less mental faculties to get through that discussion.

Nino left him to rest in peace for a bit longer before people started filing into the room.  Most people knew from the day before that _something_ was going on with Adrien and Marinette, but they didn’t know exactly what, so they avoided both the involved parties, as well as the supporting parties and the topic in general.  As people entered the room, therefore, no one approached Adrien or attempted to draw either Adrien or Nino into conversation.

When Marinette arrived, the already quiet room fell to an even more dramatic hush.  The girl was walking so feebly that it almost looked like Alya was holding her up as they made their way to their seats.  Whether it was so Marinette wouldn’t have to look directly at the back of Adrien’s head, or if it was so she could be closer to the aisle (and wouldn’t have to crawl over anything), Alya switched seats with Marinette.

The morning passed in a haze for both Marinette and Adrien.  When breaks arose, Nino and Alya coordinated to keep them separated, but they could only do so much.  For the most part, there was a fragile armistice between the two, but it was delicate and vulnerable to shattering if anything were to push the already tense situation over the edge.

So it was, then, that lunch time came around, and despite their best efforts, Alya and Nino were unable to steer Adrien and Marinette away from each other.  Both stiffened visibly, followed by silence and some intense gazes.

“Adrien,” Marinette finally said, tentatively, as though she were wary of what the result would be.

“Mi- Marinette,” the boy responded, stumbling over the name and clearing his throat in an attempt to cover it up.

At the almost endearment, the imperviousness of Marinette’s barrier began to thaw, and it was clear by looking at Adrien’s expression that he was hesitantly hopeful at this sign.  For several seconds no one said a word. Then, Nino, attempting to end the awkward silence, brought up what he thought would be a completely innocuous topic.

“Did you guys hear that Ladybug and Chat Noir were spotted on the Eiffel Tower last night?”

Marinette and Adrien both inhaled severely, and Nino’s face turned immediately to panic as though he knew he messed up, even if he wasn’t sure how.

Marinette’s eyes, which had begun to soften, turned cold as ice, and Adrien’s gaze, which had been regretful and somewhat open moments before, suddenly became hardened and impassive.  At that instant, both turn abruptly away from each other and headed in opposite directions. Nino and Alya only stared at each other for a moment, at a total loss as to what could have happened.

It wasn’t until afternoon classes that things began to come to a head.

Alya and Marinette’s classes were in different directions, so it couldn’t be helped that they ended up on opposite sides of the school.  As Marinette turned a corner, she collided with someone, and the sudden stop at the velocity she was moving threw off her gait, causing her to spin and pivot to the side, on track to face plant with the ground and drop all her materials.  Of course, the combination of Ladybug’s good luck and Chat Noir’s bad luck resulted in it being Adrien, with his Chat Noir reflexes, who Marinette crashed into. And, with his reflexes, Adrien easily caught Marinette by the waist before she hit the ground.  In her arms, her books mostly remained collected.

Her initial reaction was to apologize.

“Oh my God, I’m so so-”

But when she looked up at the person who caught her, the apology was lost.  She stood up abruptly, to Adrien’s surprise, red flush on her face, righting her purse and possessions before spitting out:

“I don’t need your help, alley cat.  Next time keep your hands to yourself.”

Adrien could only stare, shocked at the hostility in her words, as she stormed off.

It was during that particular class that the akuma sirens first sounded.  Of course, every akuma was already inherently a bad thing, but as Adrien heard the sirens blare, he felt a great weight settle in the pit of his stomach.

Things were not right with him and his lady.  And they had an akuma to fight. He had the ill feeling of foreboding that something was going to go terribly wrong, and not for the first or last time, he cursed his terrible luck.

Marinette’s thoughts were not very different.  At the first sounds of the alarm, she froze in place, regretting more than ever just how awry things had gone in the last 24 hours.  She felt deep remorse for the way she had been treating Adrien, had been all day, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. It was undoubtedly a defense mechanism, her way of preventing him from hurting her more than he already had, but she knew she was only making things worse.

And suddenly, it didn’t matter, but it also did.  More than it ever had or ever would. Because they were going into battle, and they were so severely out of balance with each other, she was sure they were going to struggle more than they had with any akuma before.

She only hoped it would be ok in the end.  She had some amends to make as soon as possible.

* * *

“Ladybug.”

There was a quiet thump as Chat Noir landed on the roof next to her, but as she glanced over at her superhero partner, Ladybug saw that his gaze was elsewhere- on the akuma in the distance.

“Chaton,” she said.  Surprised at the name, Chat’s startled face turned to look at her.

“What are we dealing with here?” he asked measuredly.  She paused for a moment before looking back toward the akuma.

“I’m not entirely sure yet.  He appears to have powers related to teleportation and telekinesis.  Not only can he teleport from one place to another at will, but it seems like he can also move other objects without touching them.”

“ _Shit_ ,” Chat muttered.  “Any ideas about where the akuma is?”

“None yet, kitty,” she responded, ignoring the brief moment when Chat’s jaw dropped.  “Haven’t gotten close yet. I guess I’ve learned all I can from here, though. It’s probably time for a closer look.”  For just a moment, Ladybug hesitated before saying, “Try not to get hurt, Chat Noir.”

Her partner’s face looked hurt for a moment before shifting to irritation.

“I’ll be fine, L.B.  Just worry about yourself.”

Then he was off, and Ladybug was speechless.  She meant it as a sentiment of care, but it came out as a question of his abilities.  There was no time to correct her mistake, though. The akuma would wait for no one, and Chat Noir was already headed in its direction.  She couldn’t leave her partner without backup, so she swung her yo-yo furiously to catch up to both cat and villain.

Of course, everytime she or Chat got close enough to strike, or threw any sort of object at the akuma, it was quickly able to teleport out of the way, often appearing somewhere behind the superheroes with a weapon of some sort.  And the akuma moved so quickly, it was difficult to impossible to track. Not to mention, Chat wasn’t taking directions very well, so every attempt Ladybug made to coordinate was either unheard, or ignored. Less than an hour in, sleep deprived and emotionally depleted, both Ladybug and Chat were worn out and physically battered.

And then it got worse.

One second the akuma was several buildings away, and the next it disappeared, only to reappear scant feet behind them with a giant metal beam in his control.  Ladybug and Chat Noir barely had time to process what was in front of (behind?) them before it hit, much less time to duck or prepare for the impact.

All Ladybug could feel was intense pain as the beam rested on her chest, crushing her ribs and most likely cracking several of them.  Chat was in a similar situation, breathing with great effort and apparent pain. His baton was knocked out of reach, and Ladybug couldn’t get to her yo-yo before it was snatched up by the akuma.

The two heroes struggled to lift the heavy beam off their bodies, but the akuma was holding it in place without even touching it.  As Ladybug looked up at the akuma’s face, she saw the purple outline of a butterfly flash over its eyes and decided to take the opportunity of its distraction.

Hurriedly she looked over at Chat, who looked like he was about to collapse with exhaustion and pain, and desperately whispered, “Chat, your Cataclysm.”

It was a risk.  They were in the heat of a battle like they had never fought, with no end in sight.  There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from the akuma that it couldn’t easily teleport to.  Odds of being able to recharge safely after timing out of a transformation were slim, but they had to take the chance.  If they didn’t, the akuma would surely have their miraculouses any second.

Chat gasped out, “Cat-a-clysm,” touching the beam with the black energy bubbling through his right hand.  

The beam dissolved just as the akuma became aware of what was happening, but by that moment, Ladybug had already retrieved her yo-yo, and in the split second she had, she tossed it into the air, yelling, “Lucky Charm!” with all the strength she had left.  Even so, it hurt like hell. She was sure some of her ribs were broken.

Into her hands fell a red and black-spotted cloak.  Her sigh couldn’t be more tired or exasperated.

  
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” she nearly sobbed just as Chat grabbed her hand and took off running, practically dragging her behind him.

“My lady! Over here!”  She didn’t have time to appreciate his use of the endearment as he shoved them into an alley and behind a dumpster, ripping the cloak from her hand and throwing it over them in the same instant.

Her world was thrown into obscurity.  It was dimmer, and hazy, and everything seemed sort of filtered through static, like a bad channel on an analog signal.  The akuma was there within seconds, appearing out of thin air and looking around as though searching for something- them.

She didn’t understand.   Why couldn’t he see them?  She looked searchingly at Chat, who put a finger over his lips in an urging for her to stay quiet.  Within a few seconds, the akuma teleported out of the alley, and Chat sighed in relief.

“Chat?  What the hell is going on?  Why didn’t he see us?”

“My lady, you are lucky I’m such a nerd,” he gasped as he placed one hand on the dumpster behind them, trying to catch his laboring breath.

“I don’t understand.”

“I’ve seen all the Harry Potter movies, read all the books.  It’s an invisibility cloak.”

Ladybug’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

“Is that a joke?  I thought that was just fictional?  Magic?”

Chat gave her a deadpan stare.

“My lady.  Our miraculouses are magic.  Do you really think that’s something they can’t overcome?”

Her earrings and his ring beeped in tandem.

“No use wasting time, Chaton.  We need to recharge before he figures us out.”

“But if you detransform, we’ll lose the cloak.”

Ladybug paused for a moment.

“We can’t both be vulnerable.  You go first, and I’ll try to hold on to the transformation as long as I can.”

Without hesitation, Chat dropped his transformation, and Adrien pulled cheese out from his pocket for Plagg, who neither complained nor begged, but got to eating right away.

Adrien held his ribs gingerly, clearly in pain, and clearly trying to hide it.  Ladybug looked at him in concern, but he only smiled half-heartedly.

“I’ll be ok, my lady.  I’ve still got all nine lives left.  As soon as this is over, your miraculous cure will have this cat in _purr_ -fect shape again.”

But the spotted hero only lifted a hand to caress his cheek.

“I’m so sorry, Chaton.  This is all my fault. I did this.  We’re all over the place because I ruined our partnership.  I said some awful things to you, and now we’re in the worst jam we’ve ever been.”

Her earrings beeped again.

Adrien stood there, gazing thoughtfully at her underneath the cloak.  The whole world looked oddly grayed and streaked, but she was at the center of it all, clear and bright as the same sunny skies he saw reflected in her eyes.

“My lady, I think we’ve both made some mistakes.  When this is over, I know we can work it out. Together, you and I can do anything.”

Plagg cleared his throat.

“All right, kid.  I’m ready to go.”

“Right.”  Adrien looked at Ladybug.  “Well, here we go. Plagg, claws out.”

The light was practically blinding in the dimness of the cloak, but Ladybug couldn’t tear her eyes away as Chat Noir took the place of Adrien Agreste.  She reached out to touch his face again as though to make sure it was really the same person, and heard her earrings beep again.

“I think that’s your cue, my lady.”

Ladybug took a deep breath.  The second she dropped the transformation, they were vulnerable again.  She led them both between the dumpster and the wall to give them the most coverage possible before releasing Tikki.  As soon as Tikki was free from the earrings, Marinette pulled out a cookie and waited as the red kwami chewed like their lives depended on it.

Chat looked around incessantly as though trying to see anything that might come for them.  It was only a few minutes, but it felt like hours before Tikki was done and ready to transform again.  As the pink light overtook Marinette, Chat stared in awe before taking her fully transformed hand and leading them out into the streets again.

The avenue was eerily quiet.  No civilians were around because of the akuma, but the akuma was nowhere to be seen either, giving both heroes a very uneasy feeling.

“What’s the plan, L.B.?” Chat whispered.

Ladybug looked at her partner, at a total loss.

“I... don’t know.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Also known as the chapter where Ladybug and Chat Noir's battle with the akuma ends, and where the battle with Hawkmoth begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bah! Here! You can take it! Have it! I'm not good at waiting to post chapters, apparently.

**Day 0 -6 hours (minus 6 hours)** :

Chat and Ladybug walked carefully through the streets, unable to find the akuma, or any trace of its location.  Unfortunately, with the ability to teleport, it could be just about anywhere.

Neither of them had a plan, especially with no akuma in sight, so they spent some time thinking of what its strengths were, what weaknesses it might have, and how they could exploit those weaknesses.

Trouble was, what kind of weakness could a being have when it could teleport at will and control objects without touching them?

They kept coming back to the same conclusion: there had to be a way to knock the akuma unconscious.

They theorized electrocution, blunt force trauma, even tranquilization, but the question was how?  

They thought about pretending to be knocked out themselves, but that put them at great risk as well.

Time was closing in on them, as the akuma would surely return soon and could even have been watching them the entire time, though they didn’t think that was likely.

Eventually, the heroes came up with a very basic, though somewhat weak, plan, and it revolved around keeping the akuma in a location with plenty of rooms and that they were familiar with.  The akuma attack was pushing 3 hours now, and most schools and businesses were closed for the day since it hadn’t been dealt with yet. With this in mind, Chat and Ladybug decided to lure the akuma to their school, which should (most likely) be empty by then.

“He has to be able to visualize where he’s going,” Chat reasoned.  “If he doesn’t know the school or the layout of the rooms, that’s going to be a lot harder.”

Ladybug couldn’t fault that logic, so they set up traps in several rooms, most of them involving some sort of stun mechanism.  As a last resort, Ladybug could always call on her Lucky Charm, but she was hesitant to use it with so much risk of detransforming.  At least, in the most desperate of situations, the school also offered a multitude of places to hide while recharging her kwami, but she didn’t want to leave her partner vulnerable and alone, either.

Both heroes made a check of their setups, from the tranquilizers they pilfered from the outdoor sports shop, to the taser-on-steroids monstrosity Chat engineered (God bless his interest in science).  Since they knew what rooms these traps were in, they knew which rooms to draw the akuma to. Now all that was left was to lure him there.

Ladybug volunteered for the bait.

“I’m faster on my yo-yo,” she argued.

“I don’t care.  If he gets one of us, I would rather it be me.”

“Well, if I’m the bait, I know he _won’t_ get me.”

Chat narrowed his eyes.

“You can’t stop me, Chaton.  I need to do this.”

A clawed, gloved hand reached up to brush bangs away from her forehead.

“Marinette....”

It was a thrilling sensation, hearing her name fall out of Chat’s lips, as though he was praying to her.  Knowing that he worshipped her as Ladybug was one thing, but to feel his reverence for her as herself was entirely different.  Her lips parted in surprise and anticipation as Chat’s head appeared to lower toward hers.

It was the lightest of brushes, his lips on hers, and after that brief taste, Chat whispered something against her lips.

“I really do mean it, I swear.  It’s not just a trick.”

Ladybug’s eyes remained closed as his breath ghosted over her mouth, smiling at the words, at the sensation.  In the next instant, she attempted to lean in to initiate more contact but was met only with air. Upon opening her eyes in shock, her partner was already a speck in the distance, on his way to lure in the akuma.

Ladybug’s first reaction was betrayal, but she was torn.  She wanted to believe he meant it, but what if it was just a ploy to get her to stay behind?  If that was true, then she knew that it would prove a bitter blow to her ego, and her feelings.  Her rationality told her he did it because he wanted to protect her, but deep inside, she fought against feelings of being toyed with and betrayed.

Still, Chat was already gone- it wouldn’t make sense for her to chase him, and it could endanger them both.  There was an akuma to catch, and night was quickly drawing closer. Drama with Chat aside, she needed to be ready.

* * *

Chat Noir bounded over the rooftops, silently cursing himself and praying that Ladybug would forgive him.  He didn’t kiss her just to trick her- he wanted to do it, and with the way things were going, he was genuinely afraid he would never get another chance.  In the end, Ladybug was more important, and if he had to sacrifice himself so she could win, he wouldn’t hesitate. She was his lady, his princess, and he would die for her over and over again if it meant keeping her and the rest of Paris safe.

Chat came to a stop on a rooftop near the site where they were earlier fighting with the akuma.  He gazed around tensely, expecting it to appear at any moment, ready to take off at a second’s notice in the direction of the school.

The akuma still hadn’t appeared, and Chat wasn’t taking that as a good sign.  Was it possible the akuma was playing with them, waiting them out? Lurking in the shadows until they dropped their guards, or worse- detransformed and were vulnerable?  He gulped at the thought.

The sky was beginning to turn orange and red, and the citizens of Paris were still hiding indoors, leaving the streets disconcertingly silent.  His cat-like hearing came to his aid in that moment, as his ears caught the sound of an almost indiscernible whoosh somewhere behind him. He ducked instinctively, a car flying just over his head and crashing with great force into the wall of a building down the street.

Chat didn’t even bother to turn, relying on his heightened senses to protect him as he took off in the direction of the school.  Looking behind him would cost him precious seconds, and the akuma’s ability to teleport would make visually tracking him nigh impossible.  Instead, he sprinted as quickly as he could, avoiding the open vulnerability of rooftops in favor of the cover of cars and structures littering the ground level.  Anytime the akuma hurdled a large object at him, he had some form of protective shelter to take.

His flight was rapid, though it felt like an eternity before he caught sight of the school building in the distance.  He trusted Ladybug to be ready for them, to be on the lookout for their arrival. Almost in front of the school, Chat quickly retrieved his baton and launched himself over the roof down to the courtyard below, not waiting for the akuma to arrive behind him before heading for one of the rooms they prepped with a trap.  A low, sinister voice echoed through the large, empty corridors.

“Kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, _kiiiitty_...” it taunted.

Chat was hiding in the classroom, but he made sure part of him was subtly visible to draw in the akuma.  His pulse pounding, Chat waited for the inevitable. Ladybug was somewhere, she had to be, waiting for the moment to strike.

There was a disturbance in the room, as though a piece of the space in front of him were a vacuum, and it suddenly inverted on itself, then discharged a body in human form.

The akuma.

Up close, it looked almost like a normal human, but its color was all wrong, pale and translucent, and some of its features were distorted as though buzzing with an electrical energy.  Chat sucked in a breath, lifting his baton in case he needed to defend himself. The akuma laughed, if it could be called that. The sound was more like a deep static, crackling and snapping, with a low hum like the sound an appliance makes when its plugged into an outlet.

Where was Ladybug?  Worried the opportunity would pass, Chat pressed the pawprint on his baton, causing it to extend in the blink of an eye, knocking into the akuma and temporarily stunning him.  At least they knew for sure he could be physically touched.

At that moment, there was a violent buzz, and the akuma appeared to twitch uncontrollably where it stood.  To Chat’s dismay, it didn’t fall unconscious- it didn’t even collapse to its knees under the voltage passing through its, albeit akumatized, body.  There behind the akuma, holding the large, modified taser was Ladybug, attempting to keep the device in contact with the akuma without actually touching the akuma herself.  But the akuma wasn’t going down like they hoped.

Chat got busy searching the akuma’s form for any sign of the infected object but wasn’t coming up with anything obvious.  Then there was a flash of purple-outlined mask, and the akuma appeared to feel some anguish before grasping the sides of his own head and falling to his knees before them.

Ladybug refused to let up, though, afraid that the akuma might disappear if she took away the stunning device.  All of a sudden, a purple, inky black mass bubbled up all over the akuma’s body, and culminated in the emersion of a purple butterfly.  Ladybug immediately retracted the taser, afraid of hurting this person in his human form, and preparing to catch the infected butterfly before it could escape.

After releasing the purified insect, Ladybug scrounged up the remainder of her energy and tossed her yo-yo into the air, calling, “Miraculous Ladybug!” in the lowest voice she had ever used, promptly sinking to the floor behind the unconscious akuma victim before the words were entirely out of her mouth.

Chat was at her side in an instant, attempting to cradle her, but they were both so drained, even though their physical injuries had been healed by the miraculous cure, that Chat leaned heavily on her as she leaned against him.  Both of their breathing was coming out in (relieved, much less pained) pants as Chat rested his forehead against the side of Ladybug’s head, eyelids drooping shut.

“I’ll never leave you alone again, my lady.  I _paw_ -mise.”

Relieved that it was finally over, but exhausted beyond description, the two were attempting to find the strength to rise up and head home when Ladybug noticed a tall, lithe form standing in the doorway.  The setting sun cast shadows about the room, but there was no mistaking their new visitor.

Noticing his partner’s expression of shock, Chat looked up to follow her line of sight, stopping as his eyes came to rest on a figure in purple, slim cane in hand and silver mask covering his face.

It was more of a breath than a whisper as the hero in black pronounced, “Hawkmoth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter: the fight with Hawkmoth, leading up to where the story started.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revealing the events leading to the first chapter, the final showdown with Hawkmoth has arrived, including a fencing duel and BAMF Marinette.

**Day 0 -1 hour (minus 1 hour)** :

Adrien Chat Noir Agreste had never been a pessimist in any sense of the word.  He was, generally speaking, an optimist, despite the terrible luck life seemed to throw at him.  His mother disappeared. His father ignored and basically abandoned him. He was forced to perform a job he didn’t like, and to participate in all manner of extracurricular activities that he didn’t even choose for himself, all with barely any time for his friends, and almost never leaving his own room.  Being Chat Noir was his one saving grace, and he was willing to take the bad luck that seemed to inherently come with the role because it gave him a freedom that he wouldn’t otherwise have.

Fighting akumas was always a challenge, but he never doubted that he and Ladybug would save the day every time- together- the way the universe intended them to.  During the battle they just fought, though, Chat was beginning to wonder if he would make it out victorious, or have to sacrifice himself so his lady could save the day.  And then, the akuma was purified- albeit, it appeared Hawkmoth retracted the akuma out of frustration, something he had never done before, but Chat wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.  He was only grateful for it to be over, on his last shreds of energy- borrowed from Plagg- before he collapsed in a heap of deadweight.

He knew in recent months that the situations were escalating.  Hawkmoth never really seemed to go out of his way to hurt regular people specifically, and no one had ever died in an akuma attack (except that one time with Timebreaker, but the timeline was erased, so it didn’t matter), nor had anyone’s injuries ever remained unhealed by Ladybug’s miraculous cure.  But the akumas of late were becoming more and more dangerous, and it was clear Hawkmoth was done toying with children and more and more desperate to get their miraculouses.

The teleporting akuma (what was his name? Chat never did catch- _ha,_ cat _-ch_ \- it) was probably the most intense one he and Ladybug had ever battled, definitely the most sophisticated one as far as powers went.  (I mean, come on, a giant baby?) If Hawkmoth didn’t take back the akuma on his own, there was no telling if they would have had the time or energy left to capture and purify it, but that was all ifs, buts, and hypotheticals, which were becoming irrelevant in the greater scheme of reality.

Speaking of reality- back to the point.

Chat was not a pessimist in any way, but having just won (relatively, sort of) the akuma battle, on the brink of collapse, and vulnerable on the ground next to his equally weakened partner, he was beginning to wonder if the universe _wasn’t_ specifically orchestrating against him.

Meager seconds had passed since the two sprawling heroes noticed Hawkmoth in the doorway, but in those eternal moments, Chat had begun to experience the very real, distinct fear that they were about to lose the most important battle they would ever fight.  The only consolation was that neither Chat nor Ladybug had used their special abilities, and could theoretically remain transformed for a great length of time still.

Except, of course, for the fact that they were mere seconds from passing out.

Suddenly Chat was wishing he could do the whole last day and a half over again, if only so they would be more physically and emotionally ready for this.  It was distinctly possible that the very serious conflict they faced had left them in this fragile position. But, you know, hindsight and twenty-twenty and all that.

The tall figure spoke.

“Ladybug, Chat Noir.  What a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”

The voice was calm, polite even, but there was a malignant undertone that spoke of calculated, cold ruthlessness.

“I’m glad to see that my akuma has prepared you for my arrival, though I must admit, I am disappointed that he couldn’t do the job himself.  But, no matter. Never send someone else to do something you want done right. And here I am.”

There was a pregnant silence before the supervillian continued.

“I believe you have something of mine, and I have come to collect.”

Delirious as he was, Chat Noir couldn’t help but hiss in response, and the placid expression on Hawkmoth’s face faltered briefly, giving way to irritation for only a fraction of a second.

“Have it your way then,” he responded, pulling a rapier from his cane, which apparently doubled as a sheath.  Ladybug was attempting to scramble to her feet, yo-yo clumsily in hand. Chat was already up, feet in fencing position, if somewhat unsteady, baton held out in front of him like a sword.

“Prêts?” Hawkmoth taunted.

“Allez!” Chat responded, lunging forward.  There was a clashing of metal as the two enemies slashed and lunged and parried around the room in quick succession.  It seemed they were mostly equally matched, skill-wise, and there were a few seconds in which the two fencers found themselves in a standoff, weapons clenched in deadlock against each other.  Ladybug didn’t have the time to even call for a Lucky Charm, however. In the very next moment, Chat was on his back on the ground, Hawkmoth holding his sword in one hand, pointed at Chat’s neck, the hero’s baton in the other.

Then there was a yo-yo wrapped around Hawkmoth’s torso, holding his arms tightly against his sides and causing his grip on the slippery baton to falter.

“It’s over Hawkmoth,” Ladybug proclaimed, out of breath, despite not having participated in the duel.  “Hand us your miraculous!”

Hawkmoth didn’t appear perturbed, however, or even flustered.  Instead, he leveled a smirk at the hero in red, and disappeared in the next instant, yo-yo string going slack and falling to the floor as the villain re-appeared in another part of the room.

Ladybug’s jaw fell in a manner reminiscent of her yo-yo just seconds before.  Chat’s eyes grew impossibly wide, and he scrambled to his feet, snatching the baton from the ground.

“It appears we are at an impasse,” Hawkmoth pronounced in his usual cool demeanor.

He was across the room, and then he was behind Chat Noir.  Before Ladybug had time to react, Hawkmoth had pulled Chat to his chest, body turned around to face Ladybug as the blade rested against his neck.  The distress on Ladybug’s face was palpable.

“Chat!” she yelled, afraid to reach out, afraid to move and risk his life, but her mind was calculating, looking desperately around the room for a solution.

“Don’t think about it, Ladybug, don’t move, don’t even breathe.  If I so much as hear you call for help, it will be his blood on your hands.”

Ladybug seethed.

“It’s going to be alright, Chat, I promise.”  There was steely determination and fury in her voice.

“Wrap your yo-yo around your wrists, Ladybug, like a good girl.”

The sentence made her physically ill, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins prevented her from vomiting on the spot.  She nearly panicked, knowing if she did what he asked she would be unable to help Chat, and sincerely fearful that, if she refused, Chat, _her_ Chat, her _Adrien_ , would be dead.

“Don’t do it, Ladybug!” Chat exclaimed, only to have the sword held tighter against his neck, cutting somewhat into his skin, a line of blood welling up along the wound and beginning to run down his suit.

“I’m sorry, Chaton,” she whispered through watery eyes.  They would make it through this, she told herself, but not if one of them died.  She would figure out a plan.

First things first.  Ladybug cautiously lifted up her yo-yo, watching as Hawkmoth held the sword threateningly against Chat’s throat, and, closing her eyes, she swung in it a circle around her joined wrists, effectively binding them together.

When she opened her eyes, Hawkmoth sneered at her.

“Good girl.”

Then he quickly raised his weapon above Chat’s head, bringing the blunt handle of it it down upon the back of his skull with a loud, sickening crack.  Chat slumped limply to the floor as Ladybug lunged forward, screaming, “CHAT!”

In a flash, she was at his side, hands still bound, but Hawkmoth was between them, and with his two arms, he reached out and grasped the two of them tightly to himself, grunting as though putting forth every bit of strength he had.

Ladybug was suddenly motion sick, zipping through space as though it didn’t exist.  She herself was essentially immaterial, passing through objects at the speed of light as streets and buildings and objects blurred into a gray, dim haze.  It made her dizzy and nauseous, and in almost a single instant, she was conscious of passing through the Agreste mansion, herself and Chat Noir still in Hawkmoth’s hold.  Then they came to a stop, and she collapsed on the floor of what appeared to be Monsieur Agreste’s office (was that a Gustav Klimt-esque painting of Mrs. Agreste?), next to the unconscious form of her partner.

Disoriented and physically ill, she could only lay there as the room spun, her body feeling the distinct sensation of falling through the floor as the room above diminished steadily into a smaller and smaller circle, eventually disappearing entirely from sight.

Her brain was trying to piece things together, and the clues were nagging at her subconscious, but she was too physically and mentally impaired at the moment to form any deductions.  The trio arrived at a dim gray room, filled only by thousands of white, fluttering butterflies. She could vaguely make out the setting sunlight drifting in through a large window, butterfly shaped and so familiar it hurt her head.  Attempting to rise despite her dizziness and bound wrists, she caught a glimpse of a glass coffin off in the opposite corner of the room, a young-looking, beautiful blonde woman lying within.

Marinette tried not to gasp at the urge to vomit, resisted the sensation of falling, forced herself to sit upright.  Next to her, Chat began to stir, his hair matted some with blood, the slight wound on his neck mostly dried.

“Chaton,” she whispered, slurring her words, “please wake up.”

A vague shadow, almost invisible in the dimness of the room fell over the two weakened heroes.  Ladybug looked up.

“Hawkmoth.”

He stared down at her darkly.

“Don’t do anything stupid, my dear.  I don’t _want_ to kill you,” he warned, reaching for her earrings, but she wasn’t ready to give up yet.  Using every bit of strength she could find, she jutted upward quickly, headbutting the villain in the face and causing him to back away briefly before launching back toward her in a rage.

Only now Ladybug was on her back, feet raised, and she kicked out her legs at hard as she could, knocking him back onto the floor.

In a moment of desperation, she called out, “Tikki, spots off!”

She didn’t give the kwami any time to ask questions, though, and as soon as the yo-yo was off her wrists, she was enveloped once more in pink light as she called again, “Tikki, spots on!”

Hawkmoth was upright now, glaring at her and reaching for his sword, but Ladybug was standing and holding onto Chat’s baton.  The blond hero behind her was groaning and attempting to regain his bearings, still heavily affected by his weariness and head injury.

Ladybug knew she wasn’t a fencer.  She had virtually no experience sword fighting, but she couldn’t fight a rapier with a yo-yo.  She dodged and ducked as best she could, but already inhumanly tired, she was bound to be too slow.  Hawkmoth’s sword was coming down over her head, and she was about to raise up the baton to block it when she heard a cry.

“LADYBUG!”  It was Chat, who was finally aware of his surroundings.  The distraction was detrimental, though. In the brief second it took her to look at Chat, Hawkmoth’s sword knocked the baton out of her hand, and looking back again at the villain, she had no time to deflect the strike headed toward her chest.

The scream Chat let loose as it rammed through her ribcage was primal, full of despair and fury.

“ _LADYBUG!_ ”

The sword was swiftly removed from her body, and she fell to the floor, unable to speak or process what just happened.  Through dazed eyes, she saw Chat rapidly rise to his feet, grasping the baton, which had come to rest close by his position, on his way up.  He swung at Hawkmoth in rage- uncalculated, reckless strikes and blocks that reflected just how tired and emotionally compromised he was. It was inevitable that he would make a mistake.

He attempted to block one of the villain’s lunges, but it was a feint, and in the next instant, the baton was knocked out of his hands.  Desperate and no longer rational, he lunged with his body at Hawkmoth, just as his enemy raised his sword. The blade passed through Chat’s chest, just left of his sternum, grazing the medial outer wall of his heart.  The expression on Chat’s face fell, stunned. As tears streamed out of his eyes, Chat collapsed back, the sword slowly drawn back out of his body. He was prostrate, one hand laying out to the side, the other landing on his chest, and a pool of blood swiftly collecting under his motionless form.

It came at a great cost, but Hawkmoth had won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Tikki and Plagg wake up with two very alive chosens. They will have to navigate some difficult conditions of the wish while figuring out how to change the course of reality (without letting either Marinette or Adrien know what's coming).


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we introduce some crack for the sake of comic relief, and the story slows down a bit, for the sake of plot progression.  
> We see that the world has reset to the morning before Marinette confessed to Adrien.  
> Tikki and Plagg must figure out a way to change the future without violating the rules of the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These future chapters will likely take longer than the previous ones because I really want to get them right- making them unique and interesting instead of repetitive. If you have constructive criticism, compliments, encouragement, or suggestions PLEASE leave them in the comments! Reading your positive feedback gives me motivation to continue trying to make this story the best I can! I'm humbly grateful for all the comments so far.  
> All the same, I'm working on the events of the next reveal/akuma/lost battle, and I'm getting so excited! It's really coming along, stay tuned! :)

**Day 1 part 1** :

Tikki’s eyes flew open.  A frantic look around told her she was back in Marinette’s room, and a glance at the bed revealed a sleeping, living, breathing, maskless Ladybug.  They were back to the morning before Marinette confessed her feelings to Adrien. The red kwami nearly dissolved into tears but understood that time was of the greatest importance.  Without delay, she bolted out of Marinette’s room through the trapdoor, relieved to see the sun had yet to rise, and dashed toward Agreste mansion as quickly as she was physically able.

* * *

Plagg’s wake up didn’t differ from Tikki’s in any way other than whose room he was in and which chosen he was looking for.  Seeing Adrien asleep in his bed was enough to break the normally dispassionate kwami, and he darted to his trash can as tears flowed uncontrollably down his face.  Muffling the sobs as best he could, Plagg lay curled up in a ball in his place of refuge until he heard a small, squeaky voice call out his name.

“Plagg!”

The call was quiet, like a whisper-shout, and he hurriedly flew up to meet Tikki in the air.

“Sugar cube, he’s ok, Adrien’s ok.”  He tried his best to sound calm, but it came out breathless and shaky.  Tikki’s brow appeared furrowed in concern.

“Marinette is fine, too, but we need to talk about this.  What happens now?”

Plagg shuddered and shook his head, recalling the events of the day before (the day after?), but when he remembered the conditions of the universe’s judgment, his eyes popped wide open.

“Sugar cube, what are we gonna do?”

* * *

There is no human word for the ways that immortal beings communicate with the forces responsible for their creation.  It is as though energy passes back and forth, resulting in knowledge and understanding. In the void, Tikki and Plagg were given the stipulations on which the granting of the wish depended.

In contrast with what most humans believe, fate is never set.  Rather, it is the result of any number of possibilities coming to pass, and the fated events that occurred were, in this case, not against the universe itself.  Marinette and Adrien’s deaths, and the kwamis’ failure to prevent them, were- confusingly- both fated and not fated. This revealed a greater problem.

In truth, in _every_ timeline, Ladybug and Chat Noir were fated to battle Hawkmoth that very day, making it a fixed event, but the outcomes of each confrontation were, more times that not, fatal for the heroes.  In other words, in the _majority_ of possibilities, Marinette and Adrien _were_ fated to die.

So, the wish for a chance to change the outcome of the battle was not, per say, _against_ the universe.  Since the universe is comprised of multiple possibilities which manifest into a single reality, asking for a different outcome wasn’t fighting against what was meant to come to pass.  But success- that is, achieving the _desired_ outcome- was not as likely as failure; the odds were not in their favor.

And the universe was not in the habit of giving unlimited chances to change reality.  Given the odds against them, Tikki and Plagg had a limited number of chances to get it _right_ , and if they failed, then reality would be fixed forever.

To complicate things further, they were not allowed to interfere with the events in any significant way.  They could counsel, and advise, and direct, but were forbidden from divulging what was at stake, what had already occurred, or who was behind each mask to any mortal, including Adrien, Marinette, Gabriel, and even Master Fu.

With these challenges, Tikki and Plagg were pressed for time and unsure of what to do.

“Maybe we can prevent them from having that argument?” Tikki theorized.  “If we can stop that, maybe they won’t discover each other’s identities yet, and there won’t be any conflict between them.  They’ll be rested and ready when the moment comes. We’ll make sure of it.”

Plagg looked thoughtful.  “I’d really like to just fly up to Gabriel’s room right now and Cataclysm his face out of existence.”

Tikki gave him a deadpan look.  “You know we can’t interfere in that way.  And besides, you can’t punish someone for something they haven’t technically done yet.”

Plagg sulked, muttering under his breath.  “He has, he just doesn’t remember it. Lucky bastard.”

Tikki sent him another glare.

“Alright, sugar cube,” he sighed resignedly.  “We’ll try it your way. It’s worth a shot.”

* * *

“I’m telling you Tikki, this is the day!” Marinette was bouncing around her room in a way that gave Tikki deja vu.  Unfortunately, she knew _exactly_ where that uncanny sense of having experienced this before came from, and she was determined to make things go right.  But she had the problem that Marinette would be hurt and suspicious if Tikki was anything but supportive when it came to Adrien.

Since when had being positive and encouraging ever come back to bite anyone in the ass?  Tikki was sure this was a first for her.

“Uh, Marinette..." she spoke timidly.  Marinette whirled around in the middle of her fidgeting, a look of expectation and excitement on her face.

“Marinette, maybe we should plan on doing this another day.”

Marinette’s brow furrowed, surprised at Tikki’s somber tone and sudden about-face.  She had been all for Marinette’s plan to talk to Adrien last night. What happened?

“What do you mean, Tikki?  That’s not what you said last night.  What made you change your mind?”

Tikki gulped guiltily.  How would she be able to get through this without telling Marinette about everything coming her way- the fight, the tears, the reveal, the akuma, and the deaths of herself and the love of her life at the hands of his own father?

Marinette sensed Tikki’s anxiety and walked slowly closer.

“Tikki, what’s wrong?  Tell me, please.”

It took everything Tikki had not to break down in that moment, and the only reason she was able to refrain from spilling out everything, was because she knew that if she did, what had already come to pass would reassert itself, and they would never be able to stop it.

She swallowed again.

“It’s just..." she trailed off, and Marinette watched her closely.  “I’m just worried about you losing focus on your exams coming up, and Adrien, too.  Maybe you could wait a few days until both of you have fewer distractions?” The excuse was flimsy, but it was all Tikki could come up with.

Marinette’s frown deepened.  “Tikki, I don’t think that’s going to be an issue,” she stated seriously, but a second later a look of horror overtook her.  “Oh my God, Tikki, do you think he’s going to laugh in my face?”

Oh, Marinette.  This girl could really benefit from some self-esteem.

“No, Marinette,” Tikki sighed, resigned.  “I don’t think Adrien would do that, and I don’t think you believe he would do that, either.”  Marinette’s shoulders relaxed, but she still looked worried.

“Tikki, I just... I really feel like, if I don’t do this today, then I’ll never get the courage.  And we’ll be out of school soon and headed to university, and then I may never see him anymore. I’ve got to do this, Tikki, really.”

Internally, Tikki was panicking.  She couldn’t very well _forbid_ Marinette from confessing, and her best excuses were not working to dissuade her.   _Oh God, please don’t let this be fated._  Suddenly, she had an idea, a different tactic.

Marinette was gathering her materials, almost ready to go, when Tikki desperately blurted, “ _But what about Chat Noir?!_ ”

Marinette gave her a look of utter disbelief.  “Chat Noir?”

“Yea,” Tikki replied.   _In for a penny, in for a pound_.  “I think you’ve been really developing feelings for your partner.  It’s clear as day to me, Marinette, and I don’t want you to go confusing yourself by confessing to one boy and while also liking another.”

Marinette’s expression was entirely flummoxed.

“Tikki, Chat’s my partner, and I do love him, but not in the same way.  Maybe if I didn’t love Adrien first, I would have considered accepting Chat’s feelings, but it didn’t happen that way.  I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Tikki swore her heart nearly stopped at that last sentence.  Tears brimmed in her eyes, and Marinette reached out a hand with concern written clearly on her face.

“Hey, Tikki, it’s ok.  I’m right here. I know you’re concerned about me, but you really don’t need to be.  I promise, if I wasn’t sure about my feelings, I wouldn’t even dream of telling Adrien.  And I don’t want to hurt Chat, but I can’t help how he feels, just like I can’t help how I feel.”

Tikki flew up to hug Marinette against her cheek as best she could.  Marinette smiled softly and, standing, opened up her clutch purse for Tikki to fly inside.  Tikki complied, darting within and trying to think as quickly as she could of ways that she might change the course of Marinette’s day and life.

* * *

Over the many thousands of years as Plagg had existed, he learned that nothing was really as dire as it seemed.  Life continued on, despite every setback it encountered. Even when people died, others were born, and the world continued to spin.  Human lives were like blinks in the grand scale of the universe, and over time Plagg had gotten used to the difficulty of losing his chosens.  Their passings always made him sad, but he was the kwami of destruction, and if anyone was intimately acquainted with death and suffering, it was him.  He was, basically, used to it by now. None of it was ever worth stressing about, not when life and the universe would continue. One person in comparison with all of creation was almost nothing.

But _no one_ was Adrien.  Adrien was a chosen- a human- like Plagg had never encountered before.  Somehow he had embedded himself deep in Plagg’s heart- which, honestly, he didn’t even think he had- in a way that _no one_ ever did.  Losing Adrien was the most excruciating agony he had ever witnessed or experienced himself, and he had seen everything from the death of the dinosaurs, to the conquests of Alexander the Great (another in a long line of forgettable chosens), to the Black Plague and the Spanish Inquisition, even the French Revolution.

There was _nothing_ Plagg wouldn’t do to save _this_ chosen, _this_ human.

And Tikki’s plan was, in theory, sound, but he knew, in execution, it would be difficult.  There was nothing quite like a Ladybug’s stubbornness and determination when she (or he, in some past instances- whatever) made up her mind about something.

So, needless to say, Plagg was determined to keep Adrien from speaking to Marinette as much as possible for the next two days.  He briefly considered trying to convince Adrien to see her as an actual romantic option, but he knew that:

A) he himself never showed interest, much less interfered, in Adrien’s love life, and  
B) Adrien was too stupidly in love with Ladybug and blind to absolutely anyone else.  

The only way he could even imagine Adrien might begin to consider Marinette would be if he suggested how similar she was to Ladybug, but that was a real gamble, and Plagg wasn’t very good at subtle.

That decided it.  Plagg was definitely playing keep-away with Marinette and Adrien, and the thing he was going to keep away from them, was each other.

* * *

Marinette fidgeted in her seat anxiously, earning several amused glances from Alya, who was totally supportive of Marinette’s plan.  In any other circumstance, Tikki would be, too! But this was life or death (literally)! Tikki thought back to that morning, about how it all played out, trying to think of ways she could subtly prevent Marinette from making that fateful meeting.  How did she arrange to talk to Adrien in the first place? And then Tikki had a bright (if devious) idea.

 _I’m sorry, Marinette_ , she thought to herself as she quietly phased through her purse.  There was a bottle of water around here somewhere, she was sure of it.

* * *

Marinette shifted uncomfortably in her chair.  Tikki had been acting oddly all morning, and she couldn’t figure out why.  To make matters worse, there was an uneasy feeling of deja vu following her around- every place she went and nearly everything she said left her with the odd sensation that she had been here, doing this, saying that before.  To top it all off, her body was strangely sore, especially her chest, as though she had been through an intense workout the day before and was suffering the after effects. Incidentally, though, she hadn’t been truly sore from physical exercise since she first became Ladybug.  Having that superhero physique helped keep her in such good shape that really nothing affected her anymore- throwing yourself across a city nearly every day using only a yo-yo will do that for you.

So there was Tikki’s questionable behavior (since when had she stopped encouraging Marinette to confess to Adrien?), the sense of uncanny _everything_ following her around, and her perplexing malaise.  In the back of her mind, Marinette knew there was more going on than she could see, but was unable to pinpoint exactly what.  To distract her troubled thoughts, Marinette decided to text Adrien and ask him to meet at lunchtime, leaning over to take her phone from her purse.

Her fingers were met, however, with an large, cylindrical piece of plastic popping up out of her clutch.  Brows furrowed, she glanced down quickly and let out a Marinette-patented “Eep!”

Alya’s head flipped to her, expression confused and amused at the same time, to catch Marinette lifting up a sopping wet purse, empty water bottle nestled upside down between the open clasps.  She probably didn’t hear correctly, but she was sure Marinette frantically whispered, “Tikki!” at the bag.

Marinette caught her gaze, however, giving her a sheepish, nervous smile, and began inspecting the inside of her purse.  From its bowels she removed soggy cookies, a tube of lipgloss, a power compact (probably ruined), a leather coin pouch, and a very wet-looking cellular phone.

“Oooh, damn, girl- that sucks.”

Marinette held the device up in front of her face in disbelief, then suddenly her eyes began darting around excitedly as though searching for something.

“Marinette, is there a problem?” came a voice from the front of the room.

“Uh, no, professor,” Marinette responded apologetically as everyone’s eyes, including Adrien’s, swiveled to her.  Her face flared like it was on fire. “I just seem to have made a bit of a mess. May I get some towels?”

The teacher nodded and went back to the lesson, used by now to the clumsy girl’s frequent blunders.  Marinette grabbed her purse, belongings, and bookbag and lit out of the the room like the flames of hell were chasing her.  Gasping as she reached her locker, she unceremoniously dumped out the contents of her book bag in desperate hope Tikki was inside.

“Ouch!” a high-pitched voice squeaked from the pile of heavy books.

“Oh my God, Tikki!”  Marinette moved books off the pile until a little red blob appeared, rubbing her head with one nub of a limb and her bottom (backside? tail?) with the other, irritated expression directed at her chosen.

“Tikki, are you alright? Oh my God, what are you doing in there?  Why aren’t you in my purse, and why was there a bottle of water emptied out into it?”

It was damn suspicious, Tikki knew, and a risky move on her part to so blatantly sabotage Marinette’s possessions. But, Tikki was already a firm subscriber of the mantra “deny, deny, deny,” and Marinette couldn’t prove a thing.

Score 1 for Tikki.

The little kwami gave her chosen the most innocent eyes she could muster.

“Marinette, what happened?”  Then she laid it on thick, a look of horror taking over her face.  “Are my cookies ruined?!”

Marinette’s expression was evolving rapidly.  Initially, she looked relieved Tikki didn’t drown.  Then, she had that intense look she got when figuring out how to use a Lucky Charm.  Finally, a distinct look of suspicion took over her features, for how else and _why else_ would a water bottle be turned upside down in her purse- the same purse she closed herself, and the same purse where Tikki _always_ stayed- only for Tikki to turn up in her book bag of all things, where she was likely to get squashed.

“Tikki, what did you do?”  Her eyes were narrowed in a way she only reserved for fighting akumas.

Tikki wasn’t about to give up now.

“Whatever do you mean?”

Ok, so maybe Tikki wasn’t the greatest actor, and maybe that phrasing wasn’t the most conspicuous, but she wasn’t too concerned about subtlety when Marinette’s (and Adrien’s) life was hanging in the balance.

“You ruined my phone.”  It wasn’t even an accusation- more like a statement of fact.  Tikki didn’t back down.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Marinette.”

They silently stared each other down.

Then, for good measure, she adopted a demeanor of alarm.

“Oh my goodness, Marinette, what’s happened to your phone?!”

Marinette only leveled her stare more, slowly bringing the object in question up for her inspection, still covered in little drops of water on the surface, while the screen was clearly revealing internal water damage- condensation underneath its surface.  Tikki resisted the urge to cheer in triumph.

Instead, smiling innocently up at her chosen, the kwami merely said, “Marinette, you should really try to be more careful with your things.”

Her only response was a disgruntled humph.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: we see Plagg's attempts to divert Adrien from a fateful encounter, but fate is hard to beat.  
> If you have specific scenarios where a reveal goes wrong, and you would be interested seeing them in this story, feel free to leave them in a comment! I'm open to ideas and suggestions :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go. A bit more crack with Plagg, and then things quickly go downhill as our heroes keep falling into misunderstandings. It all leads to the inevitable: another Marinette/Adrien/Ladybug/Chat Noir falling out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I'm really trying to keep up the quality and originality in this story, but I'm also without a beta! If anyone has experience with that and is interested, I'd be happy to get some feedback on chapters before posting them, and input as to where this storyline can go.

**Day 1 part 2** :

While Tikki was busying herself with (ironically) destruction of property, Plagg was playing a game of distraction.

“Don’t you have to go home for lunch, Adrien?”

“Don’t you have a photoshoot this afternoon, Adrien?”

“I think you sat in something brown, Adrien!”

Then, way beyond desperate:

“Adrien! I just saw Ladybug take off over those rooftops!  You should chase after her, Adrien!”

But each and every ridiculous claim Plagg made was only met with increasingly bizarre looks of perplexion.

At one point, when Plagg saw Marinette headed toward them down the hall, he made a last-ditch effort to prevent their meeting by biting Adrien on the pec as hard as he could.

Adrien’s startled shout was followed by a quick flight into the nearby boy’s restroom, where, once he made sure he was alone, he practically yanked his kwami out of the inner pocket of his white overshirt by the (metaphorical) scruff, giving him the best damn glare he could muster.

Adrien was 300% done.

It was like that time he thought Plagg ate his phone all over again.

“Plagg?!  What the hell is wrong with you?” he whisper-shouted, rubbing his chest where the little demon had sunk in his fangs.

Plagg merely crossed his tiny limbs over his chest, closing his eyes and turning his face to the side as if insulted.

“I’m starving, Adrien.  You’ve been neglecting me all day.”

“What are you talking about?  You ate almost 3 wheels of cheese for breakfast barely 3 hours ago.”

“I am a kwami,” Plagg responded as though he were explaining something to a small, ignorant, annoying child.  “We kwamis have great demands on our energy from transforming you helpless humans all the time.” He sniffed indignantly for good measure.  “If you can’t handle it, maybe you should return me to the guardian so someone else can treat me with more respect.”

“Do I need a receipt?” Adrien muttered under his breath. He reluctantly dug a wedge of Camembert out of his school bag, grumbling, “As if it isn’t enough that I have to smell like this stinky cheese 24/7.  That’s coming out of your lunch, so I don’t want to hear any complaints later.”

Plagg took the wedge wordlessly, tossing it in the air and swallowing it in apparently a single move, no chewing required.

“Mm, delicious Camembert!”

Adrien’s flat look was less than amused, and he held his shirt flap open for the little devil to fly back in, shaking his head as he made his way out of the restroom and toward his next class.

* * *

Tikki spent the better part of the school day ducking Marinette’s suspicious, irritated attitude, and doing her best to run interference for any opportunities her chosen might have to get Adrien alone.

At lunch time, she managed to convince Marinette to go home and replenish her supply of cookies.  Marinette partly wanted to punish Tikki with starvation, but she was aware that an akuma could still strike at any moment, and without cookies, she would be unable to transform.  Besides, she figured there was no harm in giving the old phone-in-a-bag-of-rice trick a shot.

She did lament the lost chance to talk to Adrien, however, and resolved to get back to campus before the end of the lunch break so she might track him down.  Her luck was finally looking up (she assumed) when she caught sight of him down one of the corridors with a few minutes still left before classes would resume.  Peering out of Marinette’s spare purse, Tikki was almost ready to do something desperate (like try to drag Marinette out of sight by tugging on the clutch as hard as she could) when her own kwami-luck turned in her favor.

Just as Marinette was about to call out to Adrien, he let out an excited yelp and disappeared into a restroom close by.  Baffled, the girl paused in her step only momentarily before deciding that hanging around outside the door to the boy’s room was too creepy, and continued on her way to class.

They were almost home free.  Classes were out for the day, the hallways were mostly empty, and Adrien was sure to have some sort of after school activity (in fact, Tikki’s familiarity with his schedule told her it would be fencing) to keep him occupied and away from Marinette’s field of vision.  They were almost out of the building, and Tikki was on the verge of jumping for joy, when she heard a very distinct, familiar voice coming from the locker room.

Noticing it as well, Marinette stopped just outside of the doorway and listened.

“You’ve been acting weird all day, Plagg, making all these strange comments.  What is with you? First it was lunch, then it was modelling- you even used Ladybug as an excuse.”   
  
Marinette gasped quietly at the sound of her name.

“And then you bit me!  I don’t know what your deal is, but I’m not buying you any Camembert until you tell me what’s going on.”  There was the sound of a quiet scoff. “I mean it, you psychotic little kwami,” he threatened angrily. Marinette’s eyes bulged as her gaze swung down to look at her own kwami, the little red immortal shrinking nervously down into the pouch at her hip.  “You’ll eat nothing but those plastic kraft singles for the rest of my life!”

In a flash, Marinette’s face was peeking over the lower sill of the high windows, vision resting on a little black blob hovering in front of Adrien, the back of the boy’s head turned to her.  Tikki flew up beside her chosen, great blue orbs practically popping out of their sockets. Two slitted green eyes caught sight of the girl and her kwami peering through the glass, growing impressively large for such a small being and prompting Adrien’s head to whip around before either Tikki or Marinette could duck.

Marinette made the obvious connection nanoseconds before Adrien did, but with enough time to take off running before he could even get up from his position crouched on the floor by his book bag.  Clumsily he scrambled up and chased after her.

“Marinette!” he called down the hall, but she was fast and already out of sight.  He made it out to the front of the school just in time to catch a flash of red swinging over a rooftop in the distance.  Having lost precious moments, he backtracked as quickly as he could to the locker room, not even bothering with his bag or materials before punching the air resolutely and shouting, “Plagg, claws out!”

Anyone passing by would have only seen a flash of green and a blur of black as the superhero launched out of a window and vaulted over the school as though the devil himself were at his heels.

* * *

Ladybug swung rapidly and aimlessly across the city, breath practically coming in gasps, unable to slow down or stop in her desperate flight.  Adrien, her Adrien, was Chat Noir, her partner. The very boy she had been rejecting for years was the same person she was about to confess her feelings to.

Even worse, he knew she was Ladybug, if his expression was anything to go by, and now all hope she had to win him over as herself was gone.  Chat Noir had been in love with Ladybug for so long, how could she ever expect him to see past the mask? He loved something artificial, an illusion of perfection, and he held her up on a pedestal so high, it was impossible for her to satisfy the fantasy.  Reality, surely, was a great disappointment in this case.

She kept on relentlessly, pushing past her achiness, pushing past her body’s limits.  Even when she felt like her lungs were going to burst, she persisted until she had flipped, flung, and tossed herself across the entirety of Paris multiple times.  At long last, breath heaving and limbs shaking, she landed heavily atop the Arc de Triomphe. The last rays of the sun were pastel streaks across a deep, purple-gray sky.  Bright white and red beams of light revealed the traffic below, pedestrians crossing over sidewalks and streets on their ways home. 

Ladybug crouched low, coming to rest on her bottom, legs spread out in front of her, to avoid as much attention as possible.  She hoped that, despite her scarlet suit, no one would notice her above them. Finally able to relax, even the slightest bit, the distressed hero let her eyelids fall shut, inhaling in the cool evening air as deeply as she could to steady her breathing.

So focused was she, that she almost missed the quiet thump of boots behind her.   _ Almost _ .

Immediately her eyes flew open, pupils blown wide.

She jumped up at a surprisingly velocity, reaching frantically for her yo-yo and gaining a grasp on it as she felt a grip on her elbow.

A very out of breath Chat Noir implored: “My lady.  Stop. Please.”

Tensely, she stayed, yo-yo still raised in readiness.

“We have to talk about this.  No more running,” he entreated, tugging lightly at her arm in a request for her to face him.

Ladybug spun slowly, taking several seconds to rotate a full 180 degrees, but even when her body was facing her partner entirely, her sight remained directed at the ground.

Chat drew closer slowly, trying to respect her space but needing to be near her.  Withdrawing his hand from her elbow, he gradually lifted it to her chin, a silent prompt for her to look him in the eyes.

When he had her full gaze, it was clear just how strained she felt.  Her bluebell orbs were like saucers, unblinking as they flitted anxiously over his features.

He wanted to calm her, to reassure her that it would be ok, but he wasn’t sure how.

“Marinette,” he breathed, and it was too much for the overwhelmed hero.  As she drew two quick steps back, he reached out for her again, eyes going wide, but he wasn’t fast enough.  In less time than it took him to blink, she was swinging away, but he wouldn’t make the mistake of losing her again.  Gripping his baton, he extended it in a flash, following his lady as she disappeared into the darkness of the horizon.

He didn’t know how long he chased her, but by the time she landed on the top of the Eiffel Tower, him just behind her, they were out of breath, and the tower was closed for the night.  He rested his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath, ready to crumple to the floor in his exhaustion. 

Despite her need to get away, Ladybug wasn’t in much better shape, and she allowed herself to plop to the ground, wishing she could get away but recognizing that there was nowhere she could hide that her partner couldn’t find her- especially now that he knew who she was.

Chat walked carefully over to her side, sinking to his knees on the hard surface under them.

“My lady, please, I need a rest.”  He was by no means ready to take off again yet, that was for sure, especially when he knew in the back of his mind how much trouble he was going to be in when he got home.  Skipping out on after school activities was bad enough, but he had disappeared for the entire second half of the day- probably close to 6 or 7 hours, and his father would be less than pleased that he could offer no explanation for his disappearance.

Ladybug showed no signs of running away again, so he decided now would be a good time to give Plagg a break.

“My lady, is it ok if I detransform?”  

She looked up at him, eyes still blown wide, but only for a moment.  Her gaze shift downward again as she muttered, “Tikki, spots off.”

Chat took this as permission and released his transformation as well.  All the same, even with both of them sitting their in their civilian forms, Marinette would not look up but kept her eyes on Tikki, who was munching a cookie in her lap solemnly.  Adrien silently handed a wedge of cheese to Plagg, who took it without a word and nibbled on it anxiously, sharing fearful looks with his counterpart.

Emotionally, Adrien was torn.  He wanted to be thrilled about this discovery, and deep beneath the surface, he was.  But the way things were playing out, the way Marinette fled at the sight of him, was leaving him with all kinds of insecurities.  Was he not good enough to be her partner? Was she disappointed Chat Noir the hero was really just nerdy Adrien Agreste? Did he just lose any chance he had at a relationship with his lady that was more than just partnership?  He was trying to give her room to process the revelation, but after an entire afternoon and evening of searching for her around Paris- a city of no small size at that- his patience was beginning to wear thin. Every step he took toward her felt like it propelled her two steps back.

He hadn’t really had time to consider how he felt about his lady being Marinette, but he was inclined to think it was a good thing.  He liked Marinette, quite a bit. He  _ loved _ Ladybug.  The two of them weren’t all that different to begin with, even if Marinette was a bit clumsy.  If anything, though, the more he thought about how perfectly Marinette was as Ladybug (well,  _ duh _ , she  _ is _ Ladybug), the more he started to feel like she was even further out of his league than before.  In fact, if he had to bet, he would say that Marinette running away from him probably had to do with her desire to spare his feelings when she would inevitably reject him again, only this time as himself.

Suddenly chasing Ladybug down didn’t seem like the brightest idea.

_ Shit, what did I do? _

Unbeknownst to him, Marinette was having similar thoughts.  As soon as she saw Adrien and his kwami, she had flashes of a catboy on a rooftop, roses and a picnic set up and waiting for her.  A kiss on the cheek. Relentless flirting and lips brushing over knuckles.  _ Oh God- Dark Cupid _ .  It was like when people say their life flashed before their eyes, but it was a montage of moments where Chat attempted to gain her affection, and she rejected him.

She wanted to be happy.  All this time, it had been Adrien wooing her, seeking out her favor, trying to love her, even when she didn’t want him to.  But stronger than that was her awareness of just how far above her Adrien Agreste was. She’d nearly confessed to him, yes, but that was when he was still just a model (as if anyone could be  _ just _ a model), and an all-around perfectly imperfect human.  Suddenly, that amazing creature was also a hero of Paris, someone who worshipped the flawless ideal Ladybug represented, someone who sacrificed himself to keep her safe on a daily basis, and someone who was surely going to be severely disappointed when he found out just to whom he was really dedicating himself so devotedly.

“What is there to say, Adrien?” she finally asked, mournful and dejected.

“It’s just-  

That is-  

I mean-”

Nothing was coming out right.  His stomach and his tongue were in knots.

“I don’t know what to say, I guess.  I’m sorry this happened?”

Marinette’s eyes fluttered closed.   _ He’s sorry, he says.  I bet I can guess why _ .

“It doesn’t matter now, I guess,” she murmured.  “Still, I’m sorry everything turned out so disappointing.”

Adrien tried not to look like a kicked kitten.   _ So she really is disappointed it’s me. _

Marinette continued quietly.  “No one deserves to find out their hero is really an awkward fuck-up.”  

There was some bite to her voice, and Adrien bit back tears, tucking his chin into his chest and swallowing thickly as his own failures came crashing down around him.  “I guess that’s true.” 

Marinette winced.  “I hope you can still trust me to do my job.  If not, I’ll talk to Master Fu about finding a new Ladybug- someone much better and less clumsy than me.”

Adrien’s head jerked upward, clarity dawning as he realized Marinette wasn’t saying she was disappointed in him, but assuming he was disappointed in her.

“No, my lady-” but she cut him off.

“Chat!  It’s ok.  It might be better that way.”

“No, Marinette, you don’t understand-”   
  
“I’ve got to go, Chaton.  I’ll see what Master Fu has to say tomorrow.”

She was lifting up her purse and draping it across her body, Tikki floating toward it hesitantly, almost as though she wanted to say something but couldn’t.

Before Tikki could reach the clutch, however, Adrien reached out for her, holding her carefully in his grasp.  Marinette’s jaw dropped.

“Marinette, you can’t leave.  Just let me finish what I have to say.”

“Tikki, let’s go,” Marinette told her in a tone that brooked no argument, knowing full well that she could phase out of anything at will.  But the little red kwami was sure if they didn’t talk this out, the outcome would be disastrous. So she stayed.

The look on Marinette’s face darkened, eyes resuming their frantic darting as she searched for a means of escape before a very Ladybug look of determination dawned on her face.  Seeing it sent a shiver of unease down Adrien’s spine.

“Let’s not make this more difficult than it already is,” she said, resolution ringing clear as she stepped closer to the railing, hopping up onto its precariously thin surface.

Adrien nearly stopped breathing.

“Marinette, get down!  You’ll hurt yourself!”

“See you around, Adrien,” she replied, springboarding off the rail into a swan dive.

Adrien threw himself at the railing, half his body pitching over the side as he screamed, “ _ MARINETTE! _ ”

Out of the thin air he heard a cry of, “Tikki, spots on!” before the kwami in his grip melted into an intangible blur and followed the falling girl over the edge.  Within seconds, a red figure was swinging below, vaulting away from the structure as he continued to stand there, every inch of his body shaking uncontrollably. Then anger quickly rose to join his terror.

Plagg hovered close by, watching the entire exchange with mouth agape, eyes so large, they could have eclipsed his entire face.  His gaze flitted back and forth between his chosen and the red hero, who was disappearing quickly in the distance. A final look at Adrien made the Camembert in Plagg’s stomach turn over- it was a look he had seen very recently, a look which made him fear for things which he couldn’t utter.

The wrath in Adrien’s voice was clear as he heard him command, “Plagg, claws out!”  Just before he was absorbed into the miraculous, the despondent kwami could only think of how he had never felt so helpless in his entire existence.

* * *

It wasn’t impossible for Adrien Agreste to get angry, anymore than it was impossible for Chat Noir to feel sad.  Despite the appearance that both personas of the same adolescent boy were perpetually upbeat, it wasn’t impossible for either side to experience much more negative extremes of the emotional spectrum.

Neither half of him had ever, however, been this angry before.

It was a white-hot anger, the kind that made your head spin and your knees weak- the kind that flushed your body from your skin down deep to your insides- the kind that made your stomach heave its contents out onto the closest surface, made your hands clench, your back arch, and your toes curl.

In a blind rage, the black-clad hero propelled himself across Parisian rooftops with unprecedented speed and agility- a single destination in mind:

The Dupain-Cheng Bakery.

His landing wasn’t so much a thud as it was a quake, causing some of Marinette’s decorations to crash to the floor on impact.

Marinette rose out of her trapdoor in an instant, eyes flashing dangerously as she flayed and scorched him with her gaze.

“ _ What the hell is wrong with you?! _ ”  If she wasn’t afraid of someone overhearing, it would have been a thunderous roar, but with her parents downstairs, it was more of a tempered growl.

“ _ I could ask you the same thing _ ,” her partner responded, managing to mimic the same volume while also matching her furious intensity.

“Marinette, is everything alright?” a voice reached them from below.  Marinette jumped to stand close by the trapdoor, hoping to intercept anyone who might attempt to emerge from within.

“Yea, maman, I just... fell and... knocked over my table and... some pots.”  Her voice was mostly controlled, but Chat could detect the subtle tremor she failed to eliminate from it completely.

“Alright, dear, just be careful!  I don’t want you falling off the balcony.”

There was the muted sound of a door being shut, and Marinette released a breath neither realized she was holding.  Her attention returned immediately to the boy on her balcony.

“Chat, what are you doing here?”  She said it with significantly less ire, but the edge in her tone remained.

“Just what the fuck were you trying to pull,  _ Princess _ ?  Are you out of your mind, diving off  _ the Eiffel Tower _ ?  Is this all some sort of joke to you?!”

Try as she might (she didn’t) Marinette couldn’t stop (wouldn’t) the scoff that escaped her lips.

“Who do you think you are,  _ Chaton _ ?  I don’t need  _ you _ or  _ anyone _ else to save me.”

Chat’s scoff was even less subtle, and only served to infuriate the heroine more.

“Who asked you to come here?!  I don’t need your self-righteousness, and I sure as hell don’t need your savior complex!  Now, just do me a favor, Chat, and leave me  _ the fuck alone _ .”

She turned to head back down into her room, but Chat wasn’t through with her yet.

“Somebody has to protect you from your own stupidity!”

Her body stiffened, spine ramrod straight, but the boy just didn’t know when to quit.

“What kind of sane person  _ jumps off the fucking Eiffel Tower _ ?  Are you  _ crazy _ ?”

Chat’s face suddenly whipped to the side, his cheek stinging worse than he ever remembered.  The slap echoed on the buildings nearby, indirectly answering the question whether Marinette retained any of her superhero strength outside of the transformation.

When Chat looked again at his partner, her hand was still raised, her eyes round and shining with anger and surprise.  His own expression mirrored hers as the two stood few feet apart, an untraversable chasm between them. With a ginger hand to his swollen, red cheek, he broke the deafening silence.

“Have it your way, then.   _ My lady _ .”

And with a noiseless leap, he bounded out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter: the second day of the reset begins, and the probability our favorite superheroes will meet a tragic end continues to increase.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette deal separately with their explosive confrontation, but they're not the only ones who know Chat was on her balcony last night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind, this is still the first do-over, even though it's day 2. Every do-over is two days long because they went back in time 2 days when time reset.  
> I hope this story is keeping you interested to see what happens next. I promise not to have every scenario revolving around the two of them ending up in a shouting match, but for the early stages, it makes a lot of sense. You'll find that as they continue to relive the same days, there are residual effects that influence the way events play out, and the way the heroes react to them.  
> As usually, if you have suggestions or comments, please feel free to leave them in the comments section! It helps motivate me to keep writing this story, and to make the chapters the best they can be.

**Day 2 part 1** :

Tikki lay awake for hours, sick at the thought that Marinette and Adrien had ended up in this same situation, _again_ , in spite of hers and Plagg’s efforts to keep them apart.  She even wondered if the universe was purposely conspiring against them.

Marinette tossed and turned for hours, though Tikki tried to comfort and console her as much as she could.  She begged and pleaded for Marinette to visit Adrien and resolve their issues, citing the potential problems it could create for them as a team, but Marinette wouldn’t even respond to Tikki’s supplications.  Eventually the girl fell into a fitful sleep.

As the sun began peeking its way over the dim horizon, Tikki felt tempted to sob in despair.  Marinette stuttered awake, possibly more exhausted than she was before she drifted off to a disturbed doze.  The kwami suggested Marinette stay home sick and try to catch up on her rest, but she failed to acknowledge the advice, staring at nothing.  There was something petrifying and indecipherable behind her eyes, and it made Tikki’s frazzled nerves even more fraught.

Suddenly, Marinette looked directly at her kwami.

“Tikki, what happens if I give up my miraculous?”  
  
The little red sprite’s color drained, and she found herself incapable of reacting in any way for several seconds.

“Marinette, you can’t be serious!”  Aside from the fact that she was entirely attached to her chosen, Tikki was also very aware that there were very few hours left before an akuma would drain them of what remaining energy they had, maybe even kill them, and if it didn’t, then Hawkmoth still stood a high chance of finishing the job.

Sadness drifted over the girl’s countenance as she lowered her stare.  It felt like she had utterly failed. She may have been angry when she slapped Adrien, but honestly, she couldn’t explain _why_ she had _so much_ anger.  It was like it was already festering under the surface, just waiting to get out.  He may have been pushing her, but he didn’t deserve that. Hitting her friend and partner was the most un-Ladybug thing she had ever done.

“I’m not a worthy Ladybug, Tikki.  I’m sorry to disappoint you,” she murmured toward her lap, gaze directed at the palm of her hand.

“No, Marinette, you could never disappoint me!  I picked you to be Ladybug, no one else could compare!  Please, Marinette, look at me!”

But her head stayed locked in position, eyes unseeable and unseeing as her hands elevated steadily upward, meeting at her ear lobes.  Tikki caught on quickly, finally in a state of full-fledged panic as she buzzed and flitted and darted around Marinette’s head, tears streaming down her tiny cheeks and quavering voice pleading with her not to give up.

“I need some time to think.  I’m sorry Tik-” were the last words the kwami heard as her most beloved friend, her human, her _chosen_ , removed the magical studs and placed them in their box.

Where the earrings had sat, there was now bare skin.

And where Tikki had been hovering, there was only air.

* * *

Adrien, of course, didn’t get much more rest that night than Marinette, even though he willingly accepted Plagg’s comfort.  Upon arriving home, Nathalie and his father were determined to know where he had been all afternoon and evening, but Adrien refused to say.  The giant, red, hand-shaped mark on his face did nothing to assuage their demands, but after an hour or two of no response, after threats to ground him for eternity, to remove him from school, even to ship him off to a boarding school in another country, the two adults finally consented to allow Adrien to depart to his room for whatever rest he could possibly get.

Not that he cared one way or the other- he knew he wouldn’t sleep that night.  So unnerved was he by the whole day that none of the punishments for his actions even concerned him.  He was grounded, obviously, and forbidden from speaking to any of his friends for the indefinite future.  He wasn’t allowed to attend anything unrelated to the activities he already participated in, and any spare time he had in his schedule would be filled with even more photoshoots and lessons.  None of it mattered, though. Not with the abyss of anger and loneliness that was eating away at his insides, expanding like a black hole of destruction and slowly but surely consuming him.

Ok, so maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but Chat never thought he would see the day when his lady _hated_ him.  Even more, he never thought he would see the day when his lady and _the love of his life_ was secretly his _best friend_ , and she _hated him_ .  Hated him enough to strike him as hard as she could, even if he did push her anger too far.  Hated him enough to jump off the _fucking Eiffel Tower_ , untransformed, just to get away from him.

When would he learn to just leave things alone?

When the day inevitably broke, he saw no use in staying home to rest, and in truth he would fully expect his father to tell him if he could stay out all day and give no excuse for his absence, then he could make it to school and keep his perfect grades perfect.

The only thing befitting an Agreste.

To add to it all, he had left his books at school overnight, as though his luck were determined to screw him in every way possible.  Dressing in his restroom, Adrien did his best to cover the swollen mark on his cheek, which had gone down quite a bit after some ice, and mostly only required some concealer to hide the redness- nothing an experienced model couldn’t handle.

He skipped breakfast (he found he had no appetite) and, making sure Plagg was safely hidden away with plenty of Camembert to eat, climbed into his chauffered car for the ride to school.  Then, as he sat in the back seat, scrolling through his phone (thankfully, he had left it in his pocket instead of his bag), he discovered something even more disturbing than everything that was already going on, as if that should have even been possible.

There, headlining on multiple Paris news websites and trending on social media, were stills of Chat Noir engaged in a heated exchanged with a very clearly pictured, very not-transformed Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Seconds later, the car’s brakes slammed and it barely lurched to a stop before Adrien Agreste, teenage model, high-achieving student, and Paris’ darling, flung himself to the sidewalk, spewing bile and water onto the concrete.

* * *

Marinette walked the short distance to school in a daze.  Unsure if she was truly ready to leave Tikki and Ladybug behind, she elected not to take the earrings back to Master Fu yet, but, reluctant to leave Paris unprotected in the event of an akuma, she wasn’t prepared to leave them at home either.  So, uncomfortable wearing them and uncomfortable leaving them where they could be lost or stolen, she carried them with her in her bag. There was always a chance she would decide to give them to Alya, anyway, just like she tried and failed (what a surprise) to do 4 years ago.

As she got closer to the school, though, she noticed quite the commotion.  News vans and reporters with microphones were camped on the sidewalk in front of the school, and Marinette wondered what could possibly have happened.  Close by the chaos, Marinette spotted Alya and headed toward her, calling out her name.

“Alya!”

In a split second, the amateur journalist spun toward her best friend, surprise and alarm written clearly across her features, just as the horde of media representatives caught sight of her and rushed toward her, microphones extended.

Marinette found it impossible to hear a single question, so confusing and loud was the maelstrom, and she was barely aware of Alya grabbing her arm and dragging her through the crowd toward the front doors of the school.  Once safely inside, the young hero leaned against the wall, trying to reign in her breathing.

“Oh my God, Alya, what is going on?”

Alya, intense, energetic Alya, never looked worried- not even when an akuma was carrying her over his shoulder on his way to sacrifice her in an ancient Egyptian ritual.  Yet there, just inside the shelter of the doors, Marinette could clearly perceive tension and concern on her friend’s typically carefree face.

They stared at each other for long seconds in silence.  Finally, the redhead responded.

“Maybe it’s easier to just show you,” and she handed over her phone to the pigtailed girl, chewing on her thumbnail in anticipation.

On the screen, Marinette could clearly make out a headline:

“ _CHAT_ FIGHT? CHAT NOIR CAUGHT IN LOVER’S SPAT”

And just below the headlines, in HD-quality, were images of an angry-looking Marinette and a scowling Chat Noir on her rooftop.  There were several, actually, showing both individuals with arms and hands in various positions and places. In one, Marinette pointed an accusing finger.  In another, Chat’s hands were suspended in the air, assumably tossed up in exasperation. Each one provided clear proof of the intimate familiarity between the two.  No one looking at the pictures would believe they never met before, surely.

When she looked up at Alya, Marinette couldn’t quite figure out what she was thinking.  She had to be curious- she was Alya, best friend AND Ladyblogger. It was understandable if she was miffed for being so obviously left out of news regarding Marinette’s apparent love life, not to mention a relationship of sorts with a superhero who Alya so faithfully admired and reported on.

The blogger’s eyebrows twitched as though she were suppressing something, but she said nothing, and Marinette was only glad to avoid questions for the time being.  Instead, she slumped to the floor with a hand to her face.

“Oh my God.  My parents are going to freak out,” she moaned, strongly wishing she had listened to Tikki and stayed home for the day.

_Oh, Tikki_.

Perhaps it was for the best that she wasn’t wearing the earrings- in case anyone might have any suspicions and take notice.

As more people poured into the school’s campus, Marinette found it hard to get through the halls, swamped and smothered by dozens of students prying into her supposed relationship with the cat-like superhero.

Some questions were innocent.

“Is Chat Noir as nice as he seems? Oh, I bet he’s dreamy!”

“Do you go on real dates? Has he met your family?!”

Others, were not.

“Does his catsuit come off?”

“Does Chat Noir have a leather fetish?”

“Is his tongue rough like a real cat?”

All of them, Marinette ignored.  She thought she would be home free when she entered class.  As soon as she walked into her homeroom, however, she suddenly remembered just how complicated the whole situation was.

Sitting there, red-eyes and sunken cheeks, hiding behind the facade of a kind, quiet model, was (unbeknownst to the class) an untransformed Chat Noir.

“ _Fuck_.”

* * *

Adrien had (slightly) more time than Marinette to prepare for the absolute shitstorm that was the scandal involving Chat Noir.

News outlets were speculating on everything from whether she knew who he was behind the mask (yikes), to whether or not she was the mother of his illegitimate children (what the hell? also, yikes).  Having already hurled the contents of his stomach out onto the pavement, he was more or less moving on to the stage of coping.

However, he had a serious advantage over Marinette.  Because, unlike her, the media had no idea he- that is, Adrien Agreste- was involved.  Therefore, no one was questioning or harassing him.

Even still, Adrien was unprepared for the moment when Marinette entered the classroom.  He knew it was coming, having heard the commotion outside and in the hallway, but hearing it coming and dealing with it face to face were two different animals.  How was he supposed to deal with everything when she was _right there_?  For once, he was relieved his father ordered him to come home for lunch (part of his grounding), and decided it couldn’t come fast enough.

Marinette, on the other hand, looked like she was about to collapse.  It was clear she hadn’t slept at all, but it was also obvious that the entire fiasco was destroying her already frayed nerves.  It was in their best interest, he decided, if they didn’t make things worse by talking to each other. He didn’t think they could get through a civil conversation, and he wasn’t keen on the idea of the media picking up on any parallels between Marinette’s conflicts with two very similar-looking blond boys.

Irritatingly, Plagg was _not_ on board with the whole “ignore Marinette and the entire Chat scandal” plan.  He made it _quite_ clear to Adrien _just exactly what_ he thought about this tactic.  (He called Adrien a baby and a coward and threatened to dress him up like a drag queen in his next transformation if he didn’t try to make up with Marinette).

Adrien just wasn’t ready, though, and nothing Plagg said or threatened to do (like purposely puke up half-digested Camembert and hide it in various places) could sway him.  And when Nino asked about his mood, he told his friend he had done a lot of studying the night before and had to get up early for a photoshoot, and Nino accepted it without question.

And if Marinette muttered under her breath, he ignored it.

There was no ignoring the whispering going on behind him, though.  Alya gave Marinette some time to adjust to the circumstances, but eventually she needed answers.  Just how long had she been seeing Chat? Why didn’t she tell her best friend about the affair? She wouldn’t believe that there was nothing going on between the girl and the superhero (and who could blame her).  And when Alya asked what the fight was about, and Marinette sounded absolutely heartbroken when she quietly answered, “I just realized that I wasn’t the right one for him,” it took everything Adrien had not to breakdown into a sobbing mess.

That was it- right there- the moment Adrien was willing to grovel at her feet and beg her to take him back, his own identity be damned- beg her to give him the chance to make himself someone worthy of her- beg her to see how deeply, irredeemably in love he was with her and would always be.

And then it all came crashing down.

He had resolved to take her aside at lunch- much to Plagg’s relief and insistence that it should really be sooner- when he remembered he _had_ to go home if he wanted to be ungrounded before he turned 80.  An hour wouldn’t make much of a difference, he decided, so he did what he was expected to do, then returned to school only to find that she had gone home during lunch and not come back.  Whether it was because she wanted to stay out of the spotlight, or because her parents were seriously upset, was unclear- probably a bit of both. Plagg threw an actual hissy fit, foaming at the mouth and uttering nonsensical platitudes about how much he needed to be in balance with his partner and so forth.

But there wasn’t much Adrien could do without getting in more trouble.  He tried to console Plagg with a promise to sneak away during his after school lessons and approach her at home (in civilian form- he wasn’t _that_ stupid), which only incensed Plagg more, but before the day was even over, the akuma sirens began to blare.  To say that Plagg was both irate and unsurprised would be an understatement. Adrien had never seen him so disconsolate, and before long, he was in the same boat as Plagg.  Because within minutes of the sirens, there were television channels airing breaking news, broadcasting live outside of Marinette’s family bakery, and they all reported the same thing.

The akuma, something electricity related with ability to teleport and control objects, had taken the Dupain-Cheng girl, Chat’s apparent love interest, captive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope no one finds Marinette taking off the miraculous unbelievable. I feel like, in this situation, she would feel so guilty for what she did that she would sincerely doubt herself as a hero and a role model, and let's not forget, Marinette doesn't always have the highest self-esteem, not to mention the time she tried to give her earrings to Alya after failing in her first ever battle.  
> Next chapter: we see what happened when Marinette went home for lunch, and what happens when Chat going looking for her.  
> Comments and suggestions?


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette goes home for lunch, and the akuma appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are ya'll ready for this? This timeline has 3 more chapters, in case you wanted to know. I think it's even more intense than the previous timeline.  
> As before, day 2 is part of the same timeline as day 1. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please leave them for me to read! Positive feedback is welcome of course, but constructive criticism is as well!

**Day 2 part 2** :

Marinette couldn’t take anymore of the mayhem.  In class, everyone watched her, openly staring when they thought she couldn’t see them, and keeping track of her out of the corners of their eyes when she looked back.  And those were  _ her friends _ .  Outside of class, it was much worse.

She could barely get from one class to another in the time allotted.  Everywhere she went, she was followed and hounded. Even taking a break in the girl’s restroom was a shocking experience when someone had the nerve to try to ask her questions while she was  _ sitting on the fucking toilet _ .

Chloe was typical Chloe, making derisive remarks about her being “what the cat coughed up,” “Chat Noir’s consolation prize,” and “a second-rate sidekick’s sloppy seconds.” (Although, she did have to give her props on that one for her alliteration.)  And even though she usually couldn’t care less what the spoiled, self-centered blonde brat had to say, deep inside it  _ hurt _ .  Because wasn’t it the truth?  Wasn’t she nothing more than a poor-man’s Ladybug, the fact that she  _ was _ Ladybug beside the point?  No one would actually  _ choose _ Marinette over a superhero, which, if she wasn’t said superhero, wouldn’t have mattered all that much, but she was, so it did.

In her head and in her heart, she felt like there was no way her partner- the perfect Adrien Agreste- would possibly want her to continue her role now that he knew exactly who was inside the suit.  So, when lunch came around, instead of staying in the eighth circle of hell, she fled home as soon as she was able, tossing the box containing her earrings on the desk and laying down on her chaise.

She couldn’t face him, couldn’t let him  _ see _ just how pathetic he already knew she was.  When the media circus died down, she would make her way to Master Fu’s and return the miraculous.  She had no doubt he could find a better Ladybug than her.

Without an appetite and exhausted beyond description, she decided not to return.  For a while she lay there, unable to sleep because of the way her mind was racing, before a knock sounded at the door in her floor.  Then it lifted, revealing Sabine Dupain-Cheng. The small woman quietly rose into the room, coming to sit next to Marinette on the chaise.  It was difficult to tell what she was thinking or feeling, so controlled was the older woman’s expression. Marinette decided the best thing to do was wait, so she sat upright but refrained from speaking.

“Is there something you want to tell me, Marinette?” her mother finally ventured.

Figuring out how to respond was perplexing.  She couldn’t tell her the truth- that she was Ladybug having a fight with her partner- because not only was no one supposed to know, but her mother would surely want the answers questions she wasn’t prepared to give.

Not disclosing her identity was problematic, too.  It would appear, from the pictures, she had a boy on the roof of her bedroom in secret (she did), and that she had some sort of illicit relationship with this boy (she didn’t).  Unsure what to say, Marinette opted to stall for more time.

“Could you, uh... be more specific, maman?”

That earned her a hard glare.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, is there a superhero boy in a skin-tight leather catsuit secretly visiting your room at night?”  Her mother’s skill at instilling fear without really even raising her voice was extraordinary.

“No, maman,” she answered timidly.  “Last night was the only time.”

To say her mother’s face paled would be an understatement.

“Well, you’re practically an adult, Marinette, and what you choose to do in your private time is your business, but a relationship with a superhero is dangerous-”

“Maman, no!” she interjected.  Both females stared at each other silently for a few seconds before Marinette continued.  “Maman, it’s not like that, really.”

Sabine paused briefly, seemingly warring with herself internally before asking, “Then... what is it like?”  

Marinette appeared thoughtful, trying to choose the best way to answer.  “I know Chat, and we had an argument, but there’s nothing more going on.”

Uneasy silence reigned a moment longer before the older of the two began, “Well, dear, I trust your judg-” but her statement was lost to history as both their phones began to sound- akuma alert.  Marinette looked nervously out the window, grasping her mother’s hands in her own.

In an urgent voice, she commanded, “Maman, you need to go downstairs.  Now.” Failure or not, Marinette was the only person who could be Ladybug in that moment, and she needed to get the earrings on and transform as soon as possible.

Her mother searched her face, “Marinette, what are you talking about?”

The lights in the house began to flicker, pushing Marinette closer to panic.

“Maman, I mean it, I’m sorry.  I’ll explain it to you later, but you need to get somewhere safe.”

“Marinette, I’m not leaving this room without you.”

The younger girl resisted the urge to whine, trying to drag her mother to the trapdoor leading downstairs.  “Maman, it has to be now. I’ll be safe,  _ I promise _ .”  But her mother wouldn’t let her hands go, and then there was a violent explosion next to them as the building was suddenly impacted by something large and metallic, the object itself perforating the wall and leaving behind an expansive breach in its wake.  The women had no time to process, however, as one minute they were peering through a tangle of broken plaster, iron, and concrete, and the next there was an akuma standing in her bedroom.

In less than a second, Marinette was pressing a black box into her mother’s hands.  “Get these to Chat Noir,” she ordered, and then Sabine was falling through the trapdoor as it forcefully slammed shut above her.  Tom was running up the stairs, coming to kneel next to a sore and tearful Sabine, fright and confusion reflecting in his eyes.

“Marinette!” she screamed, panicked, and he bolted up the stairs, only to emerge through the door and find an empty room.  In the space where her back wall used to be, he only saw broken bits and blue sky.

* * *

When Chat arrived at the bakery, it was pandemonium.  Police officers and reporters littered the sidewalk in front of the store, news vans and patrol cars taking up the streets, plastic tape cordoning off the building itself.  Marinette’s parents were speaking to an officer, her mother in tears as her bear of a father stood next to her, holding her in his giant arms in comfort. Whether either one actually felt comforted wasn’t apparent.  Looking up, Chat felt his stomach lurch as he caught sight of the enormous breach in the wall of Marinette’s room.

“ _ Marinette _ ,” he breathed, cursing himself for his lack of action.  If he had come to see her, if he had been here-

“Chat Noir!”  It was Madame Dupain-Cheng, and she was frantically calling him over.  He was by her side in an instant. “Chat Noir, you have to save my girl!”

“I will, I swear, Madame Dupain-Cheng.  I’ll find Marinette.” There was water on his face.  Was he crying?

“Please,” the woman pleaded, grasping his hands and her own tears welled up and spilled over, creating rivers on her cheeks.  “You have to come with me.”

Chat followed her wordlessly inside, stepping over broken glass and bits of wall and ceiling that resulted from the impact above.  She led the distraught boy up to Marinette’s room, asking the police for a few moments of privacy for Chat to search the room for clues to the where the akuma might have gone.  When the room was empty, though, she turned back to hero and held out her hands side by side, palms up, a black, octagonal box resting in them. Chat looked at her in awe.

“She told me to give you this.”  Sabine gulped. “I looked inside.  They’re earrings.”

Chat met her gaze, not wanting to reveal anything he shouldn’t, and waiting to see if she would continue.

Sabine seemed to sense this.  “She’s without her miraculous, Chat.  Since you were here fighting with her last night, I assume you know who she is.  She’s vulnerable, and she’s in danger. You have to find her and bring her back to me.”

She opened the box, removing the earrings and handing them to Chat.  He placed them in the zippered pocket of his suit.

“Find her and give them back.  You have to save her. Both of you do.”

Chat nodded mutely, at a loss for words.

“I will, Madame Dupain-Cheng.  We will. Everything is going to be alright.”

* * *

Chat scoured the city obsessively in search of his princess-  _ his lady _ .  But, two hours later, exhausted and in the exact same place he started, he found himself standing on top of Notre Dame, racking his brain for where she could possibly be, and what he could do.  It didn’t help that he was without rest for over 24 hours, but he was determined not to give up. The akuma  _ couldn’t _ know Marinette was Ladybug, or it would have taken the earrings instead.  And if it wanted to use her as bait for Chat, for  _ him _ , then she had to be alive.  

Guilt overwhelmed him.  If he hadn’t followed her home, no one would have seen him on her balcony, and they wouldn’t be here.  If he had apologized to her sooner, sought her out when he wanted to, they could have avoided the situation.  Worst of all, he knew that, wherever she was, his lady was alone, miraculous-less, and probably believing he was disappointed in her.

As if he could ever be disappointed by her.  She was his partner, but she was also his best friend.  And he was going to find her.

But he was never going to find her with the way he was going.  It was one thing to blindly search Paris, but to blindly search all of Paris  _ by himself _ when the akuma could have her anywhere, and move her anywhere at any time, was a wild goose chase.  If he wanted to find Marinette, he would have to get the akuma to come to him. And if the akuma was using Marinette as bait, then it would be only a matter of time.  With this in mind, he decided to move to a high profile place and wait for the akuma to find  _ him _ , but just as he got into position to jump, a glistening shape caught his eye.

Not far away was a white akuma- was is purified?  It couldn’t be; Ladybug’s earrings were still in his pocket.  If it was a white butterfly, and it wasn’t a purified akuma, then it could only be Hawkmoth luring him in.  Following the butterfly was dangerous- it could lead him anywhere, and he had no back up, but it didn’t matter.  Not only would no back up be coming, but he would willingly walk into a death trap if he knew his lady was there.

Without hesitation, he trailed after the flying insect, which had already changed course and was headed in the opposite direction.  

He followed it relentlessly, arriving at last at some sort of abandoned warehouse or factory that looked vaguely familiar.  Had he been here before? On a faded sign he noticed a butterfly logo identical to the ones on the orange shoes he always wore.  Deep in his gut, Chat had a sickening feeling.

Nevertheless, he entered the building behind the uncorrupted akuma.  Inside, there were barren tables and workstations, some remaining chairs that sat askew as though waiting for someone to descend on them, and dust indiscriminately covered nearly every surface, including the windows.  The ceiling was high, and there was a corridor toward the rear that appeared as though it led to multiple rooms, doors somewhat visible from where Chat stood.

As he proceeded further into the room, the faint scuffling of his shoes on the grimy floor echoed lightly throughout the empty vastness.  The white butterfly fluttered toward the corridor, then paused as if waiting expectantly. Chat followed cautiously behind.

He passed several doors on both sides, and as he advanced further, his amplified hearing caught the clinking metal coming from somewhere deeper within the building.  Heart racing increasing, he increased his pace until he reached a door where the akuma passed through the space underneath. On the other side, he heard the unmistakable sound of lightweight metal chains and ragged breathing.  But he was determined not to rush in and ruin any chance he had of beating whichever opponent was on the other side of the door- Hawkmoth, he suspected, and possibly the akumatized victim as well. Not that he had any misguided idea that the person was unaware of his presence.  Not only was he summoned, but he was positive the villain was aware of his every move. All the same, he wasn’t in a hurry to fall into any traps, so he stepped carefully and slowly nudged the door open.

The first thing he saw as soon as the door was open, leaning against the wall with a gag tied around her mouth and her hands bound by chains, was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So let me know, is this going too fast, too slow? Chapters too short, too long? Comments or suggestions?  
> Next chapter: Chat confronts the akuma and Hawkmoth, and tries to find a way to free Marinette AND get her the earrings.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat attempts to help Marinette escape, and return the earrings to his partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! We've topped 100 kudos on this work, so thank you all for the generosity! Considering this is my first ever fic, that's a milestone! Thank you to everyone who kudo-ed, commented, or offered feedback or suggestions. I appreciate all of it :)  
> This chapter was originally grouped with the next one, but it was a bit long, so I decided to cut it in half. That brings this one down to about 2100 words and the next one to 1500 words.

Chat’s breath caught in his throat.  All rational thought vanished as he flew to her side, but he found himself held back by immense strength before he could reach her.  She looked on the verge of passing out, sweating and leaning listlessly against a wall. The chains around her wrists resembled the handcuffs used on criminals, binding her hands first, with a chain that was tethered to the wall, but also led off in another direction, and at the end of that slack, an akuma held the links in his grip.

The akuma with apparent electrical energy running through it.  And the thing holding Chat back was another, much heavier line of chains that the akuma had cast around Chat’s body without even touching him, one end of the length of chains grasped in the akuma’s fist.  The rest twisted around his torso like a python, constricting tighter and tighter until it began to hamper his breathing. His hands had been forced flat and open against his sides, and if he summoned Cataclysm, not only would he be on a timer to win this fight, but he would essentially Cataclysm himself.  He tried to move forward despite the chains, but the akuma was controlling them, keeping Chat stuck in place.

Chat growled and leveled a look of intense hatred at the akuma, who only responded with a smirk.

“Looks like I’ve caught an alley cat in a mouse trap,” came a voice from behind the superhero- a voice he knew well.  A shiver went down the Chat’s spine.

Gradually, a figure in purple circled him, coming to stop in front of his face.  Eyeing him curiously, he lifted the blond boy’s chin, studying him closely.

Chat snapped his jaws, nearly catching the villain’s finger in his teeth, but the older man retracted his hand quickly enough to escape his bite.  Chat smirked triumphantly as Hawkmoth wiped his hand against his suit in disgust, sneering at his captive.

It was a look Chat felt was disturbingly familiar, but he didn’t let it show. Instead, he taunted, “Better hope I’ve had my rabies shot.”

“Taking your persona a little too seriously, wouldn’t you say, _black cat_?  Looks like you need to learn to control your animal tendencies.”  And then Hawkmoth gave a meaningful nod to the akuma.

Chat’s body convulsed as he felt electrical current pass through him.  He gritted his teeth, partly because it wasn’t exactly the most pleasant feeling in the world, and partly because he couldn’t stop the contraction of every muscle in his body.  His claws bit into the sides of his legs so deeply that they nearly broke through the leather-like magical armor. Through the blood rushing through his ears, he could hear Marinette’s muffled screaming and the jingle as she twisted against her binds.

After some seconds, Hawkmoth barked, “Enough,” and Chat felt his body slump slightly from the sudden release.  The only thing keeping him standing were the very chains binding him, and he raised his head slowly to look at Marinette as she panted.  Then it occurred to him- his chains weren’t the only ones in the akuma’s grip, and it was highly probably what he just felt was also directed at Marinette, only much worse because she wasn’t protected by her super suit.

Tears ran down his cheeks, much the same as hers, and the two partners watched each other in ever-diminishing hope.

Hawkmoth sauntered over to Marinette before crouching to her level, lifting her chin and directing her face at Chat before himself looking at the hero in black.  “Give me your ring, Chat Noir. Do it for her.”

Marinette tried to shake her head, but Hawkmoth tightened his grip on her jaw, causing her to flinch.  

“I don’t _want_ to kill her, but I will.”  The gravity of his expression and tone told Chat he meant it.

She tried to beg him not to give in, but her words were muffled.  Still, even unintelligible, Chat knew exactly what she was saying.

“Please, let her go,” he begged, unable to help himself.  “ _Please_.  She’s innocent in this.”

Hawkmoth’s face hardened.  “I can promise you, the universe cares nothing for innocence.  Innocent people are taken every day, and the universe _does nothing_.  It’s up to us.”

Chat paused, furiously trying to put the pieces together.  If this man was exactly who Chat thought he was, then there was only one person he could be talking about.  There was only one thing Chat could do.

He looked from Hawkmoth to Marinette, tears running rivers down his cheeks as he breathed, “ _I love you_.”  Her eyes grew wide, mouth gaping as much as it could with the gag biting into her cheeks.

“ _Chaton_ ,” she tried to say, but it was impeded by the cloth between her teeth.

Then he switched his gaze back to Hawkmoth, a spark of determination lighting his features.

“Alright, Hawkmoth.  Have it your way. You can have my miraculous if you let Marinette go.”  As he knew she would, Marinette started shrieking and kicking, but he ignored it as best he could.  He needed his lady free.

Hawkmoth appeared to consider the sincerity of his words before giving a sign to the akuma to unfetter Marinette’s chains from the wall.  The akuma did as instructed, slowly disconnecting them without even approaching her, and prepared to lead her away despite her protestations before Chat called out, “Wait!”

The akuma stopped, still holding on to both sets of chains.  

“I need to say goodbye,” Chat begged.

Hawkmoth narrowed his eyes at the boy.

“Can you please unwrap these things?” and he shifted his shoulders as much as he could.  Hawkmoth laughed.

“Just how stupid do you think I am, boy?”

“Tie my hands behind my back- I don’t care.  I just need to feel her before I may never get the chance again.”

The villian’s upper lip curled in disdain, but he rolled his eyes and motioned to the akuma, who efficiently disentangled Chat’s arms from the chains while binding his hands behind his back.

Marinette approached him cautiously, visibly torn between anger and despair.  With her hands still clasped by the handcuffs in front of her, she stood close to his chest and rested her arms on the front of his suit.

“ _You stupid chat_ ,” she whispered chidingly.  “ _You can’t do this- it’s wrong.  We- you have a responsibility, Chat-_ ”

“My l- my love, I know,” he corrected, hoping Hawkmoth didn’t catch his mistake.  “But none of that matters if you’re not safe.” She sighed despondently, smiling bitterly through tears.  

“I love you, too, Chaton.”

“Can you hug me, please?” he asked, hoping she would figure out what he was trying to do.

She lifted her cuffed wrists over his head and pressed against him.  It was awkward because Chat couldn’t use his hands, but it didn’t matter.  What mattered was the extra pressure he attempted to exert against her abdomen by expanding his stomach as much as possible.  Mid-hug, she froze, slowly lifting her wrists and backing away minutely while keeping her hands close to the front of his suit.

Her wide-eyed gaze was questioning.  He had to find a way to let her know.

“I carry your love around with me, princess.  I carry it with me wherever I go, in my _pocket_.”  She paused in her breathing for a brief moment before looking down at the almost invisible bump on his abdomen.

Her gaze returned directly to his face, immediately commanding him, “Kiss me, Chat.”

After the brief flash of surprise, Chat leaned over as Marinette raised up on her tiptoes, hands resting against his stomach.

Her lips were chapped from crying, and he was sure his were no better.  There were no flowers or music, and their faces were slick with snot and tears, but it was still the most wonderful moment of his life.  It was beautiful, if bittersweet.

He barely felt, much less heard, the zipper of his pocket opening, or the removal of two earring studs before she was suddenly ripped away from him.

“I think you’ve had enough, Chat Noir.  Times up.”

He stared desperately after her as she was pulled away, but she kept her gaze focused on him.

“I will save you, Chat Noir.  I swear. _I love you_.”

Hawkmoth sneered.  “Get her out of here.”

The akuma led her out, dropping Chat’s chain to the ground as he and Marinette exited the room and the door slammed shut in their wake.

Hawkmoth and Chat watched each other for a few moments before the villain spoke.

“Looks like it just you and me, Chat Noir.  Now we need to catch a bug.”

* * *

Marinette kept as calm as she could under the circumstances.  She just left her partner in the hands of the villain that had been pursuing them for the last 4 years.  Even worse, he was chained and practically helpless- and alone. But he wouldn’t be for long. She had to figure out a way to get her earrings back in.

Marinette put up as much fight as would be believable, considering she _wanted_ to get away so she could transform.  She wasn’t sure, either, whether the akuma would actually let her go and risk her leading others to Hawkmoth, or kill her now that they had what they wanted- well, what Hawkmoth wanted, half of it anyway.

The further she got from the room, the more she thought about how she could get away.  She couldn’t wait to be released- it may never happen. She was to the point now that she couldn’t care less if she transformed in front of the akuma- Chat Noir was in danger, and if she had to do it, she would.  Riling up as much Ladybug bravery as she could, she observed her captor.

He had her chain in his hands and was dragging her behind him, but he looked back often to prevent her from attempting any tricks.  She waited until he looked back at her, then turned around again before she put in an earring. Then she waited again for the same thing before slipping in the other.  As soon as the second earring was in, Tikki appeared, looking shocked but ready to shout something at her chosen.

Before she could utter a single syllable, though, Marinette called, “Tikki, spots on!” while simultaneously pulling on the slack as hard as she could, catching the akuma off-guard as he made to whirl around at the sound of her cry.

But what he saw, just before Ladybug headbutted him with all her might, was a spotted superhero instead of a helpless girl.  It was enough to stun him for a second as she called for her Lucky Charm- heavy duty wire cutters, which she used to snap the lightweight chains connecting her to the akuma.  Once they were severed, the akuma had regained his sense, but before he could move, or even teleport away, Ladybug caught him with a powerful roundhouse kick and nearly knocked him out cold.

It bought her a few precious seconds to snap the links between the handcuffs, and she swung her yo-yo as hard as she was able, bringing it down with every bit of superhero force she could muster onto his skull.  The akuma, who was just beginning to stand, fell to the ground unconscious. She went to work straightaway looking for its possessed item, but it was difficult to discern because of the akuma’s bizarre appearance.  Eventually she found, hidden in the akuma’s sort-of waistband, an electrode meter, which she crushed under her heel, capturing and purifying the akuma. She had little time to return and save Chat, she knew, as Hawkmoth was sure to feel the disconnection from the victim, who was still lying unconscious on the ground.  In fact, he most likely knew _exactly_ who she was, if he was tuned into the brief battle between her and the akuma.

She ran out of the building as fast as she could, intent on recharging Tikki and rescuing her partner.  She went to an alley nearby and dropped the transformation shoving a cookie in Tikki’s mouth, who promptly chewed and swallowed as fast as she was physically able, understanding that now was not the time for questions or admonishment.  As Marinette waited, the enormity of the situation overtook her, and she sunk to the ground, dissolving into sobs and wheezing breaths, allowing herself to release as much tension as she could before she was forced to push it down and focus on fighting.

Tikki was done in record time, and Marinette called on her transformation again, sprinting into the same building she just left, but not before she noticed something she missed before: a painfully familiar butterfly logo.  Her stomach churned inside her, and she had to twist the upper half of her body to the side to avoid vomiting on her own feet. Her Chat- _Adrien_ \- was inside with Hawkmoth, who was most likely his own father.

Not willing to waste another second, she charged toward the room where she knew they had to be waiting, desperately hoping she wasn’t too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Ladybug and Chat Noir take on Hawkmoth together in the completion of another failed timeline.  
> Warning: the next chapter includes some self-sacrifice/suicide, so if that's too dark for you, you've been forewarned.
> 
> If you see any errors or inconsistencies, let me know.
> 
> Comments, questions, suggestions?


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug returns to help Chat Noir in the confrontation against Hawkmoth in the ending to another failed timeline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't as long as some of the others, but it ends the current timeline, and it closes with a bit of a bang. Fair warning: there is self-sacrifice/suicide in this chapter. Posted chapters are all caught up now. I haven't finished 13 because I'm busy with work, but I'll try my best to have it done tomorrow or the day after. Thank you all for sticking with me this far! I hope you continue to enjoy this story

**Day 2 part 4** :

Chat refused to tear his eyes away from the villain in front of him, who paced in a way that was both pensive and agitated, reminding Chat more of a jungle predator than a butterfly.  Hawkmoth studied him in return as though trying to solve a puzzle before finally coming to a stop.

“We have the hapless sidekick.”  Chat’s eyes narrowed. “Now we need the incompetent hero.”  Then Hawkmoth held out his hand. “It’s time for you to hand over the ring, Chat Noir, or I’ll have your little girlfriend brought right back here so you can watch her die.”  If Chat’s hands had not been secured, he felt he could have crushed Hawkmoth’s neck in his grip, father or not. “And I wouldn’t want you getting any ridiculous notions of heroism in your head when your  _ partner _ ,” he spat the word, “arrives.”

Hawkmoth was reaching around Chat’s back when he abruptly started, vision shifting to stare off into space before a sinister expression of satisfaction and contempt took over his face.  His eyes roamed over Chat’s form, coming to rest on the open pocket of his suit, then returned to meet the hero’s gaze head on. “Well, would you look at that. It appears we won’t have to lure Ladybug in because she’s already here,” and he looked intensely into his prisoner’s eyes.  “ _ But I’m sure you knew that _ .”

Chat nearly exhaled in relief.  Even if he was at Hawkmoth’s mercy, it gave him hope that Ladybug was coming.  No matter what happened, if she was alright, nothing else mattered to him, not even his own life.

“Naughty kitty cat,” the villain scolded tauntingly, backing handing Chat across the cheek with no warning.  “But I supposed I should be thanking you, in a way. If you didn’t give her back her earrings- because she wasn’t wearing them when I brought her here, I checked- then I may never have found them.”

Chat refused to respond.

“Well then, let’s get this over with.” 

He reached for Chat’s hands to take the ring, but right then Chat clenched his hands into fists and surged forward, knocking his enemy off balance as Ladybug burst into the room.  There wasn’t much else he could do, though, without his hands, and he wasn’t ready to call Cataclysm and lost his transformation when Ladybug needed him most.

Hawkmoth was distracted by Ladybug’s entrance, so Chat fiddled with his baton- which was strapped behind his back- until it was in his haphazard grip.  Then he dropped to the floor, setting the baton aside and wrestling with his wrists, trying to bring them under his legs and to the front of his body. It took some squirming, and he may have strained a wrist in the process, but before too long, he was upright again, hand still bound but no longer behind him, baton in his grasp.

Ladybug wasn’t doing well without him.  She wasn’t much of a close-contact fighter already, but there wasn’t much she could do with a yo-yo against the sword Hawkmoth was holding.

“Chat!” she called out, and he rushed to join the fray just as she was knocked to the ground, sword raised over her.  The black-clad hero brought his baton up and deflected the strike with everything he had. Ladybug was already back on her feet, but she winced, touching a hand to her ribs and raising it to her face.  It was hard to see in the poor lighting of the room, and against the scarlet of her suit, but there was a crimson wetness to her fingertips that made Chat feel like his heart stopped beating. On her side, he could just make out a wound- most likely a gash.

As Hawkmoth recovered his balance, Chat lunged, hoping to strike the weapon from his enemy’s hand.  But Hawkmoth was more skilled than Chat was prepared for, and he not only parried but countered the strike unexpectedly, glancing a blow to Chat’s shoulder and causing the cat-themed hero to cry out in pain.

He tried to strike again, but the injured shoulder was his fencing arm, and he could barely lift it.  It didn’t take much for Hawkmoth to land a hard kick in Chat’s chest, knocking him across the room into a wall.  The boy slumped to the floor, stunned and hurting.

“Chat!” Ladybug screamed, casting out her yo-yo and swinging toward the older man, legs extended out in front of her in preparation for a kick and a flip-landing, but he was prepared for her attack.  By the time she saw his raised sword, she had no time to alter her course. Hawkmoth stood resolutely in her path, then sidestepped at the last second and swung the blade across her abdomen. She shouted at the sensation of the sharp, burning sting, losing her grip on her yo-yo and crashing roughly to the floor.  She staggered to her feet, one arm draped across her stomach, stumbling toward Chat to see if he was ok.

Uninjured, Hawkmoth was faster than her, and she heard a grunt just before she felt something hard impact her back, causing her to sprawl again to the floor.  Chat was calling out to her, so she glanced up from her position kneeling on the ground, one hand flat to the floor, the other arm still grasping her wounded belly, but it was as though everything was distorted and slowed down.

He was jumping to his feet, eyes wide in panic, uninjured arm raised, mouth open as though yelling something Ladybug couldn’t hear.  She tried to cast her yo-yo for a Lucky Charm, but before she could even lift up her arm, there was the sound of a blade piercing through flesh.  She felt a searing heat and pain rip through her middle.

Chat’s face contorted into a scream, and she looked down to see something long, metallic, and thin protruding out of her stomach, just below her ribs.  As she watched, the foreign object slowly retracted, and she collapsed to the floor, rolling onto her side and then her back, and saw Hawkmoth standing above her.

He wasn’t focused on her, though.  His expression was serious, grave, as though he was performing some sort of unpleasant task, but was earnest in seeing it through.  Chat was above her as well, but the two males’ attention was on each other. Chat still could not move his right arm well, but he ducked and dodged as best he could.  It only took one hit, though, a strike across the cheek that left an angry, red laceration on the side of his face. Chat’s body whirled with the momentum, falling down next to Ladybug.  She looked at him imploringly, mustering what strength she could to reach up and remove her earrings, forcing them into Chat’s fist. Above them, Hawkmoth’s voice rang out.

“Let’s end this misery quickly.  You’ll both be fine when it’s over- you won’t even remember.”

Ladybug looked into Chat’s eyes, wanting to tell him to save himself, but unable to breath adequately, much less speak.  Her eyes began to drift closed.

“I love you, my lady, my princess.  We’ll be together again.” And he kissed her forehead, then made to stand on wobbly legs.  Hawkmoth sighed exasperatedly. 

“Isn’t it enough yet?”  

Chat growled.

“I don’t know, father, is it?”

Hawkmoth looked stunned for a moment, eyes darting over Chat’s features in dismay.

“It can’t be,” he breathed, reaching out a hand absentmindedly.  Chat smirked bitterly.

“Oh, it can, father.  And you’re right about one thing: when it’s over, all this misery will end.  But you’re also wrong because I will  _ never _ forget this.”

Hawkmoth inhaled severely.

“And neither will you.”

And then Chat lifted his hand, revealing the earrings in his open palm before holding them flat against his chest.  “Cataclysm!” he called, and the villain standing in front of him cried out.

“ _ ADRIEN! _ ”

But it was too late.  The earrings dissolved first, then decay spread outward from his heart like a spider’s web through his body, rapidly turning his limbs, his neck, his mouth and cheeks, the beautiful green of his eyes, and his sunny golden hair, to ash.  In a matter of seconds, all that was left of Chat Noir- of Adrien Agreste- was dust.

His miraculous ring fell to the ground, next to the body of his lady.

Hawkmoth collapsed to his knees, dropping his transformation as he sobbed uncontrollably, remains of his son sifting through his fingers.

Then the world turned white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that just happened. I considered choosing a different way for Marinette to die in this timeline (other than being stabbed, like she was in the first one), but I didn't want to take away her final moments with Chat Noir. Also, I know letting Chat kill himself could be frustrating for some, but I feel like in this scenario, it fits with his character. He loves Marinette/Ladybug to the point he would rather die with her than live without her (I think), and by destroying the miraculous (and himself), it's like he's throwing that last middle finger at his father- a punishment, if you will. I hope these choices are not disappointing to anyone.
> 
> I have some questions regarding the rest of the story. I have quite a few ideas my head of how it could go, but I was hoping that the readers would have some opinion on the matter. I don't want to make the tone of the story so dark by writing too many failed timelines, that it's impossible to recover, no matter how happy the ending is. So, my thought was that I would go through one more failed timeline, referencing some of the ones we didn't see, before getting to the successful one. At most, I could do two more failed timelines before the winning one. Thoughts?
> 
> Also, if you have comments, constructive criticism, or noticed errors or inconsistencies in this chapter, drop a line. Thank you all for the continued support! I hope this story is as exciting and emotional for you as it has been for me. :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We skip ahead several timelines as the two superheroes exhibit symptoms of hidden memories. Adrien discover's his father's secret, pushing him into a downward spiral that won't end well for either of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This timeline is wholly encompassed by the chapter. We're going to get into a few, much less detailed failed timelines, in which only the most important parts will be shown.  
> If anyone wants to know the details of the entire timeline, I may consider writing them out and posting them in a separate, connected work.  
> Also, this chapter contains non-explicit sex, so if that's not your cup of tea, then this is fair warning. I'm also going to upgrade the rating from Teen to Mature because of this. It isn't really detailed or anything (that's not the focus of this fic) but it's there.  
> The chapter's a bit long, too, at least longer than some others. I meant to have it done in time to post yesterday, but work and life kept me from finishing it.  
> I hope you all enjoy it!

**Days 19-20** :

Marinette bolted upright in her bed and gasped for breath, sweat rolling down her forehead.  Next to her bed, her phone was still connected to its charger, alarm for school incessantly screeching out its obnoxious, high-pitched beep.

Tikki was awake in an instant, flying over to the girl with concern written all over her features.  They just went through another failed timeline. Another time (was it the ninth time?) where Tikki and Plagg had to watch their chosens die.  Nothing they had done so far had been enough to prevent their defeat. It always happened in a similar way, but the route there varied in some regards.  After the first failed attempt, Tikki and Plagg had seen the heroes burned, choked, seen their necks snapped, seen them die from blunt force trauma to the head.  Each time it happened differently, but the result was the same. It didn’t matter whether Marinette and Adrien didn’t speak the whole first day, or if they managed to avoid a confession- something always brought about disaster for one of them.  

Even worse- it wasn’t always related to  _ just _ the two of them.  There were timelines in which either Marinette  _ or _ Adrien fell apart because of a difficult, stressful situation that had nothing to do with the other.  Their lack of focus and communication led to poor teamwork, and with Hawkmoth’s skill and preparedness, they were always outmatched.

All of the memories were leaving both kwamis traumatized, and as every passing timeline proved a failure, their concern continued to increase that they wouldn’t find a solution.  Not to mention, Tikki and Plagg had the distinct suspicion that their chosens were experiencing echoes from those timelines, which left them with nightmares about all the ways they had lost and died before.

It would also explain why Marinette- and not for the first time- had startled awake in a cold sweat, chest heaving, breath panting, pupils blown wide.  After the first few times it happened, Marinette began to ask questions, as though she could sense that it was becoming a common occurrence. She seemed to feel lingering pain sometimes, too.  Sharp stinging in her chest, a dull ache in her abdomen, a stiffness in her neck or back, a numbness in her arm or leg. Tikki could give her no answers, of course, and it tore her apart inside to know exactly what Marinette was seeing in her dreams, having lived through every single traumatizing moment  _ and remembered _ .

She wasn’t sure how much more she could take.  She had seen most of her chosens die over the millenia, even seen Joan of Arc burned at the stake, but she had never seen a  _ single _ chosen die  _ multiple _ times in a variety of gruesome ways.  It was as though watching their beloved chosens die, living it over and over again in a thousand different ways, was the universe’s price for the wish.  Deep inside, she hoped it wasn’t all for nothing. There had to be a way to get this right, or she would defy every power in the universe to make it happen.

Marinette’s breathing slowly returned to normal.  Her frantic looking around the room reassured her that she was safe, that all was right.  Tikki lifted a tiny limb, cradling the girl’s face softly in comfort.

“Tikki, I just had the most awful dream,” she confessed, still somewhat out of breath.  Tikki waited patiently for her to continue. “I was with Chat,” she continued, “but we knew who each other was.  And we were fighting Hawkmoth, in some weird atrium- I think it was in the Agreste mansion?” Tikki inhaled subtly.  “I don’t know. That was weird. Dreams, I guess. But we were there, and we were fighting him, and... we lost. He took our miraculouses, and then I woke up.”  She looked to Tikki then, tears brimming in her eyes. “Oh my God, Tikki, it was so real.” The tears streamed forth, and she closed her eyes, trying to stop the tide but unable to stem the emotions overflowing from within.

Painfully enough, it wasn’t the first time Marinette had said something like that.  Tikki couldn’t stop herself from joining in weeping, though much more quietly. She nuzzled Marinette as best she could as they both cried before her mother called up to tell her to get ready for school.  Marinette laughed a little, face still wet and nose running. “My goodness, Tikki, look at us. Getting so upset about a dream.” But there was a deep melancholy hiding in a small, almost indiscernible frown that belied her true feelings.  Hesitantly she asked, “It was just a dream, right, Tikki?”   


Tikki measured her answer before she spoke.  “I’m not sure what you mean, Marinette.”

Marinette studied her tiny red friend, but the next second her eyes were slowly tracing over her limbs and body as though searching for evidence that wasn’t there.  “Tikki, you would tell me if something happened that I couldn’t remember, right?”

“Marinette, I would never keep anything from you that would hurt you.”  It was true, right? Marinette didn’t seem satisfied by this. “Don’t give your dreams too much thought.  They’re probably just your overworked brain trying to solve a very stressful situation, or playing out your biggest fears.  Try not to give it too much consideration. It isn’t good for you.”

Even though she didn’t seem fully convinced, Marinette let it go, giving Tikki a small smile and rising up to get dressed.  If she didn’t hurry, she would be late to school, but what else was new?

* * *

In his room, Adrien didn’t jolt up like Marinette did, but he did wake up with a similar sense of trepidation.  He had the odd feeling that his subconscious was trying to tell him something, but he couldn’t remember what. He remembered feeling anger, fear, and despair, but he couldn’t remember why.  It was as though he had had a terrible dream and was still suffering the emotional effects of it. Uneasily, he shook his head as though trying to clear it, then made his way to shower and dressed with a pensive frown.  Plagg took all of this in silently, hoping his memory of dreaming would be minimal. He was awake before Adrien- before even the sun rose- and he watched, extremely troubled but helpless, as his chosen twisted about anxiously in his sheets, murmuring mostly nonsensical phrases that climaxed in a shout of “LADYBUG!” before he stilled again, twitching slightly now and then, frowning and whimpering at times, but mostly quiet until the alarm on his phone brought him out of his restless slumber.

At the breakfast table, Adrien pushed his food around the plate, by all appearances without an appetite.  When Nathalie read him his schedule for the day, he only half-listened, but Plagg noticed his ears perk up a bit when the assistant mentioned his father would be busy in his office all day and did not wish to be disturbed.  The kwami’s excellent senses also picked up on an increase in the boy’s heartbeat, coinciding with a light frown, a faint flush, and the sudden surge of adrenaline and testosterone in his bloodstream. It was as though his fight or flight responses had been activated, and Adrien took a steadying breath, shaking his head just barely as if he were attempting to clear away a fog, but it was all followed by a look of confusion.  Plagg attempted to console his chosen all the way to school by subtly stroking him from his place inside Adrien’s shirt. It didn’t escape Plagg’s attention, however, that the physiological response did not dissipate when he returned to school, but increased instead when he caught sight of his blue-haired classmate.

Plagg could only hope the next two days would  _ finally _ turn out different than before.

* * *

“Oh my God,” Adrien barely breathed.  “ _ Father _ .”

Gabriel-  _ Hawkmoth _ \- looked swiftly up at the intruder.  If it was possible, the villain looked  _ terrified _ .

“ _ Adrien _ .  What are you doing here?  You shouldn’t be here.”

Adrien’s gaze shifted around the enormous space wildly- it gave him a sense of deja vu that made him nearly nauseous with vertigo.  His searching suddenly stopped, though, when his eyes settled on a single thing in the mostly empty room: his mother lying in a casket.

He did throw up then, bent at the waist and retching onto the cold, hard floor.

In a blink, Hawkmoth was at his side, hands hovering awkwardly in the air like he didn’t know what to do with them.  He settled for attempting to pat Adrien comfortingly on the back, but it only made him more panicked. He whirled around instantaneously, batting away his father’s (and enemy’s) hand, nearly suffocating in his hysteria.

So overwrought was he, that he barely managed to say, “ _ What... have... you done... with her? _ ”  Each pause was punctuated by a gasp, betraying how close the boy was to losing his grip on control.

Hawkmoth’s control, however, was never lacking.  The composure and cool impassiveness Gabriel Agreste was known for, took over his alter ego’s brief alarm.  In a clear, level voice he said, “She is fine. Your mother is fine- at least, she will be. You have my word.  I’m doing this for  _ us _ , Adrien, so we can be a family again.”

But Adrien didn’t hear or wouldn’t hear.  And how could he? All that he could see or hear or feel or taste was bitter, bitter betrayal.  It made him dizzy, it made him angry, and it made him feel so, so uncertain of where reality ended, and where the distortion of an uncannily familiar situation began.

His mind blanked, his heart nearly burst out of his chest, and he  _ ran _ .  He ran so hard and fast, he barely heard his father screaming after him.  He couldn’t even tell how he got out of there or how he got out of the mansion.  He scarcely recalled breezing past an astounded Nathalie and a confused Gorilla.

He didn’t even remember transforming, but was suddenly aware that he was flying over rooftops, wind stinging his wet, blurry eyes, nipping at his exposed flesh, and whipping his hair about into an even messier state than normal (well, for Chat).

Eventually Ladybug found him, alone and despondent on top of a random rooftop.  Nothing she said could soothe him, and, heartbroken to see him so distressed, she stayed by his side for hours.

She stayed by his side until his sobs dissipated into whimpers, and his tears were all but spent.  He was so exhausted he could barely lift his head. Still, she begged him to know what was wrong so she could fix it, but all he could say in response was: “I don’t suppose you can change the past.”

She grimaced.

“No, Chat, I suppose I can’t.  But whatever it is, we can fix it together.”

Chat chuckled bitterly.  “Not unless you can change who I am.”

Ladybug’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.  “Chat, why would I want to change you?  I love who you are. You’re- you’re so many things to me, Chat.  You’re my partner, my best friend. My other half. Whatever is wrong, I will face it with you.”

Chat couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye.  “I know who Hawkmoth is,” he murmured.

She stilled, not even daring to breathe, waiting for his next words.

Chat’s eyes scrunched tightly, his face contorting into a picture of pain and grief.  “He’s my  _ father _ ,” he said on a sob.

Ladybug’s jaw dropped in horror.  For a second, she thought she was going to be sick, but she held herself together, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could, choosing to cry with him and allow him to just feel.  Tempted as she was, she didn’t think it was the right time to ask just  _ who _ Hawkmoth was, and she wanted to spare him as much heartbreak as she could, only taking what he offered.

Chat was still looking down as he continued.  “He knows I know, but he doesn’t know who I am.  He’s doing it for my mother, I think,” and his voice broke off in a crack, “my  _ mother _ , oh my  _ God _ , she’s been there all this  _ time _ ....” He trailed off then, unable to speak through his cries.  Suddenly he gripped Ladybug tightly, desperately, as though hanging on for dear life.  “Don’t make me go back!  _ Please _ , don’t make me go back!”  His words were muffled as they were spoken into her neck, but she heard every word.

“Of course not, Minou.  I would never ask you to do that.  You can stay with me tonight.”

Chat calmed some at this, part of his burden seemingly lifted as his shoulders visibly relaxed.  His face shifted to look at his lady, eyes swollen and red, cheeks puffy and skin blotchy, but she didn’t care.  She lifted a hand to caress his cheek.

“I’ll never leave you, Chaton.  My kitty.”

Chat nuzzled into her palm, eyes openly watching her with sadness and love.

“I should show you,” he said after some minutes.

Ladybug stared back.  “I don’t want to push you into anything you’re not ready for.  You can wait as long as you need.”

Her words made him smile half-heartedly, truly warmed by their sincerity but still emotionally spent.  “I’ve been ready since you dropped out of the sky,” he responded, and her lips quirked. Ever her Chaton.

Then he uttered a quiet phrase, and there was a flash of green light, leaving Adrien Agreste in the place of Chat Noir.

Ladybug inhaled sharply, willed herself to stay calm, and, closing her eyes, rested her forehead against his.  His eyes fluttered shut as well, and they both stayed that way for a while, breathing each other in. Finally Ladybug broke the silence.

“My Adrien.”

Adrien let go of a gust of air, acutely aware of just how relieved he was that she wasn’t upset.

He drew back, looking into her eyes.  “My lady.”

Ladybug looked down, emotions flitting across her face as though they were at war with each other before she finally breathed, “Spots off.”

It was Adrien’s turn to take a big breath, overcome by surprise, relief, and even a bit of fear.  

“ _ Marinette _ .”

He hated the idea that his dear friend suddenly knew his deepest secrets, that she wouldn’t want him, knowing he was Hawkmoth’s son.  It was irrational, he knew, but the intense fear of rejection stung at him.

She rose up from her spot, walking a few feet away from him.  His heart nearly beat out of his chest.

Then she turned, extending her hand.  “Come on, Chaton. Let’s go home.”

As he looked at her in awe, she smiled softly, waiting for him to take hold of her waiting hand.

He stood, never taking his eyes from her face as he reached out to grab on to the person dearest in his life.

A few seconds later, there was a flash of green and pink, and Paris’ superhero duo leaped off the roof in the direction of the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

* * *

Adrien lay awake as Marinette shifted restlessly.  They were both of them truly disturbed by the revelation of Hawkmoth’s identity, but Marinette was able to fall into a fitful sleep as Adrien lie wide awake, unable to stop his brain from going over all the signs his father was Paris’ own villain.

Looking over at his partner, Adrien’s heart clenched from how much he loved her, how much more he loved her now that he knew she was his best friend in both spheres of his life.  Brushing a lock of hair away from her face, he kissed her forehead softly, causing her to stir.

Her eyelids parted drowsily, and she looked at her partner with a combination of fondness and concern.

“Minou-” she began, but her words were cut off as he leaned in and kissed her lips.  

He pulled away just as quickly, looking at her earnestly before saying, “I love you, my Marinette.”

A blush that was visible even in the dimness of the room took over her cheeks.  She tilted her head fondly.

“I love you too, Adrien.  I always have.”

She was prevented from saying anything more, though, by the pressure of his lips on hers.  Marinette made a noise of surprise but quickly adjusted to the contact, allowing and encouraging him to taste her deeply, enjoying his mouth in return.

She didn’t object as he slowly positioned himself atop her, her hands wandering indecisively over his shoulders, his neck, his hair, grasping randomly at anything that would allow her to gain purchase.

His own hands roamed her sides, her hips, her stomach, finally tugging at the hemline of her shirt in question.  Instead of parting from his lips, she elected to moan in confirmation and raised her hands up in the air as he impatiently pulled the garment over her head.  Then his overshirt was tugged away, followed by his t-shirt, both of which joined hers on the floor.

They were too far gone to stop, and the rest of their clothing fell away, bodies moving against each other and settling into a rhythm they knew intuitively.  All that could be heard for some time were muffled gasps and moans, the subtle squeak of mattress springs, and the unique sounds of wet flesh meeting over and over again.  Finally, they both cried out quietly and slowed, coming to a stop after several seconds.

Kisses became less passionate and more tender, and Adrien lay beside his love, comforted by her presence and wishing he could remain there forever.  But as she drifted off to a much more restful sleep, safely encapsulated within his embrace, he remained awake, painfully aware that eventually, he would have to leave this bed and face his father.

And he was determined to protect her- to end any threat that might harm her.

So, without a sound, he climbed out of bed and dressed.  Then, he called for his transformation and took one last longing look at his princess before kissing her forehead with all the love he bore and leaping out into the night.

* * *

Chat Noir was falling- falling far.  Falling for what seemed like forever.  There was nothing else he could do but hope and pray his lady succeeded in defeating their enemy.  He couldn’t even think of him as  _ father _ anymore.  He had taken a hit meant for her, and now it was him falling off the Eiffel Tower, dizzy and disoriented from the blow, nearly unconscious and incapable of distinguishing up from down.  He reached haphazardly for his baton behind him, but couldn’t find it. He may have lost it on the tower, or dropped it when he fell over the edge.

He doubted his suit could protect him from a thousand-foot fall, which meant he was going to die.  Oh well. That was ok with him, if it meant his lady lived to fight another day. She was always the stronger one- he, the more reckless of the two.  He always assumed he would die for her one day, and it was ok with him that it was now.

Everything he wanted in life, he already had.  He knew who his lady was- though really, that was mostly a bonus.  Still- it was a big bonus.

He had told her he loved her, and she him.  He got to spend a miraculous night with her, and he would remember it for eternity.

Chat’s vision went hazy, and he felt something sting his eyes.  Lifting his fingers to his head reflexively, he realized his head was most likely bleeding profusely.  He was probably seconds from blacking out, or becoming a splat on the concrete.

Then he saw a red blur.  Blood? No, that didn’t make sense.  It had a familiar shape, and it was coming closer.

_ Ladybug _ .

Chat could barely process the information with his diminishing mental faculties.  Suddenly the red shape was wrapping around him, emitting a rapid beep. Then they were overcome by a flash of pink light.

Chat’s eyes drifted closed, unable to withstand the combination of the wind, the velocity of the fall, and the effect of his head injury.  There was pressure against his face, something he subconsciously recognized as the same texture and shape as lips.

Then there was warm breath on his ear.

“ _ I love you, you stupid cat. _ ”

And then there was impact, and the whole world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, would you look at that- some fluff found it's way into my angst. 
> 
> I had more planned for the ending of this timeline, but that would have required Chat surviving the fall, and I decided it would be more appropriate to let them die together for once. I'd tell you what the plan was, but I may just save that for another timeline. (insert Dr. Evil pinky finger here)
> 
> Questions, comments, suggestions?


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette wakes up one morning, and she isn't alone. There's a naked blonde boy in her bed, but who is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! After a week, I've got a lot in store. I would have posted sooner, but I started writing a timeline, and then it ended up working out as the final timeline, so I kept going with that one as long as the words were flowing (though, it's actually not done yet). I try to make these timelines shorter, but this one, even being only one chapter, still turned out to be 3000 words. Oh well. As always, I hope it's keeping you interested, and I have a couple more to come before the final (which is several chapters already and counting). The final one, though, goes beyond the battle itself into the aftermath. I hope ya'll enjoy :)
> 
> This one starts on actually on the second day of a timeline, so that's new.

**Day 38** :

Marinette woke slowly, confused as to why there was a large, warm, heavy object beside her.  Her eyes shot open, memories from the day- and the night- before rushing back to her. She kept them directed at the ceiling, though, as she could feel heat radiating off of _bare skin_ , which meant Chat had _fallen asleep_ and was lying next to her _detransformed_.

Ay, mon dieu.

Carefully, she tried to sit up, bringing her hands up to shield her vision for good measure.  Beside her, she felt movement.

A hand reached out to wrap around her waist- her uncovered waist, because by the gods and all that was holy, of _course_ she was naked.

 _Fuuuuuuuuuuck_.

Eyes still covered, she reached with her free hand to try to delicately detach herself from Chat’s hold, but he tightened his grip.  She resisted the urge to groan, afraid of waking him, and pulled some of the sheet up to cover her torso, hoping there were some discarded clothes nearby.  Chat stirred again, mumbling sleepily to himself.

Embarrassing situation aside, it was kind of cute.

“‘S cold,” he muttered, obviously still unaware of the situation.  To Marinette’s dismay, he yanked on the covers, ripping them away from her body, and causing her to shriek.

She felt the bed jostle beside her and the still faceless boy sat up suddenly.

“ _Holy shit.  Princess._ ”

“It’s, uh... it’s okay, Chat, I’m not looking.  You can transform and be... on... your way.”

“ _Plagg!_ ” he whispered furiously.  “ _Where are you?_ ”  There was a heated exchanged, which Marinette ignored as best she could until she heard Chat address her.  “Marinette, uh, do you have any cheese?”

“Camembert!” came a nasal voice, and Marinette almost did a double take.

“ _Hush!  You’ll eat whatever you’re given._ ”  There was some more muttering, but the arguing did not resume.

“I’ll uh... I can check, but... I have to get dressed first.”

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry!  I won’t look,” Chat was quick to assure her.  “You can open your eyes now.”

Marinette cautiously, slowly lowered her hand, but in front of her, Chat’s face was covered by a pillow.  She tried to not let her eyes linger on the sculpted planes of his chest and stomach.

“I’ll be right back,” she said, climbing down from the bed and throwing on her clothes at an inhuman speed.

When she returned from the kitchen, she closed her eyes, climbing carefully up the trapdoor with some Gouda and Brie in hand.

“You’re a lifesaver, princess, came a voice close in front of her, then she felt someone’s bare hands taking the selections.  There was the sound of munching as she turned her back to him to face the wall, opening her eyes gradually to make sure it was safe.

But she forgot about the mirror.  In it’s reflection, blue eyes met green as she realized just who was standing behind her.

“ _Adrien_ ,” she breathed, reality ringing too true by the look of panic on his face.

“Marinette, I can explain-”

“Oh my God, Adrien,” she practically cried, throwing her hands back over her face as though she could unsee him.  “Adrien why did you- why are you- _why_?”

“I’m so sorry, Mari,” he said, voice coming closer.  “I didn’t plan this. It was so stupid- not that being with you was stupid, or _is_ stupid- I just- Goddammit, I don’t know what I’m saying-”

Marinette’s brain finally caught up with everything, and her anger wasn’t far behind.  Emboldened by her fury, she whirled on him, no longer hiding pointlessly behind the veil of her fingers, poking him in the chest in outrage.

“ _What the actual hell, Adrien?_ ” she whisper-shouted.  “ _I wasn’t good enough for Adrien to date yesterday, so how is Chat Noir any different?  What is this, just wanted a quick fuck and then I’d never have to know who you really were?_ ”

“Oh, Jesus, no, Mari, please,” he begged in a low voice.  “It’s not that at all, I just- I knew I hurt you, and even though you didn’t make a big deal about it, it was eating at me-”

“ _I’m not sure sure what’s worse_ ,” she cut him off, “ _being used or receiving pity sex_.”

“That’s really not it, Mari, please just let me explain.”

Marinette ceased her verbal assault, glaring at him out of angry eyes, standing with her arms crossed over her chest as she waited for his next words.

“I’ve always kind of liked you, it’s not that I don’t, I just- I couldn’t give you my whole heart, Marinette, not when I love Ladybug as much as I do.  And then I was here with you last night, and I started to think, maybe I could see myself moving on, with you, but I knew Adrien already ruined his chance.  I couldn’t bear the thought that you would slip through my fingers, too, so I didn’t think, I just followed my heart. Please, don’t push me away.”

Marinette’s expression was less angry, but her hurt had increased tenfold.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Adrien.  I want to forgive you, but I don’t know if I can right now.  Maybe you don’t mean it that way, but it feels like I’m just a second choice, someone you’d settle for because you can’t have the real thing.”  She sniffed, looking down at her feet. “But I’m angry at me, too, because the truth is... I’m a hypocrite.” She whispered the final words, and if the room weren’t so silent, Adrien might have missed them, but he didn’t.

“What are you talking about?”  If he were a real cat, his hackles would be raised, his ears would be flat and his tail ramrod straight.

Marinette sniffed again, tears running unchecked down her cheeks as she continued to stare at the floor.

“What I’m saying, Chaton... is that I’m in no position to judge you... because I’ve done the same thing.”  He could hear the conviction in her voice, even hear her gulp, but her final words set a ringing in his ears.  “I’ve been rejecting you for years- because of you _._ ”

Things were clicking into place, but he was one step short of an epiphany, held back by denial.

“Marinette, you’ve never rejected me as Adrien or Chat because I’ve never told you I lov-”  The sentence trailed there, a cold feeling descending on Adrien’s body. After a pause, he disbelievingly asked, “ _Ladybug_?”

She looked up, skin splotchy and tear-stained.

“Hi, Chaton.”

It was like the wind was knocked out of him.  He always told himself he would recognize his lady if he ever saw her out of the suit, but he had been overlooking her for _years_.  And then he rejected her.  She had been rejecting him for years, too, but it still made him sick to think of what he had put his lady through.

He wanted to be angry, but he couldn’t.  He couldn’t believe his _luck_ , something that never happened to him- to find out that the girl he loved and the only other girl he knew he could love were the same.  But he had gone and screwed it up. She would never want him now, he was sure.

“Marinette, I know this whole situation is so complicated, it’s almost like some sort of cruel joke of fate, but I’d like to try to move past it all, together.  If you’ll let me, I’ll try to make it up to you, even if it takes the rest of my life.”

Hand coming to cover her mouth, her eyes shut in what appeared to be pain.  When she opened them again, he almost wished she had left them closed. All he could see inside their endless pools of blue was sadness and regret.

“I don’t know if I can, Adrien.  I’m still too angry. Right now I need space.”

Adrien nodded mournfully.   _Of course_.  He knew his luck was too good to be true- it had to turn horribly wrong.

“Alright, Marinette,” he conceded, backing away.  “I promise not to bring it up again.” Then he bowed, forcibly holding his hand against his chest to prevent himself from reaching out to place a kiss on her own.  Transforming, he made his way up the ladder to her balcony door and saluted before he disappeared through its open hatch.

* * *

When the akuma alert sounded, it gave Adrien a sense of dread and disappointment- a first for him.  He had never _not_ wanted to transform before, but he hadn’t seen Marinette since that morning, and knowing exactly who he would be meeting to defeat this akuma, he wished momentarily that he could skip it altogether.

Part of him was ashamed to face her, and the other- the other didn’t think he could stand the pain of looking at her and knowing how deeply he hurt her.

Memories from the night before haunted him.  She was so beautiful in the moonlight, so soft and inviting.  When he appeared at her trapdoor, she let him in without hesitation, clearly upset about how Adrien rejected her, but also taking it much better than he thought she would.

When she confessed that it was probably for the best because she was struggling with feelings for someone else, he got an odd, twisted feeling in his gut.  The thought of Marinette loving someone else did not sit well with him.

When she let it slip that _he_ , _Chat Noir_ , was the other object of her admiration, he nearly floated out of the room.  In retrospect, he probably should have. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her, and she only paused for a second before responding with fervor.

The curves of her body, the way her eyes and hair shined in the nocturnal glow, made him weak in the knees just thinking of them.  But they also made him hate himself for not having more control, for not being honest with her before he let things go too far. He couldn’t even see the fact she was Ladybug and had rejected him multiple times as a bad thing.  In his mind, his lady had feelings for him, for _both sides_ of him, and that was as good as it got.  Who she loved first was just semantics because she loved _all_ of him.

If only he hadn’t been so stupid not to realize sooner how he felt the same, that of course he had feelings for Marinette, that it wasn’t wrong, because they were _the same person_.  If he had known that, he wouldn’t have spent however many years he had pushing down budding feelings for the blue-haired beauty who was always at the back of his mind.

Then she didn’t come to school, and he couldn’t blame her.  He desperately wanted to visit her to make sure she was ok, but was determined to give her the space she asked for.  Making up some inane excuse, he headed to find a place to transform so he could find the akuma and get the battle over with.

When he arrived at the Champs-Elysees, however, he was unprepared for the sight in front of him.

It was Ladybug, but it wasn’t Ladybug.

She wore a gorgeous qipao, knee length with a high thigh slit.  It was just like her favorite shirt- a light, greyish-white color with pink blossoms, and it hugged her body like a second skin.  Her hair wasn’t in pigtails anymore, but collected fetchingly into a low bun, two chopsticks crossing through it. On her face, which was fairer than usual, she wore blood-red lips and thick, black winged eyeliner framed her haunting bluebell eyes.  If the sight weren’t so horrifying, it would have been the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen.

The entire avenue was chaos.  People had abandoned cars in the middle of the roadway, pedestrians were fleeing in a panic, and horns honked and beeped all around them.   She stared back at him, reaching at her bun for what appeared to be a simple fan, but Chat knew had to be much more dangerous. He stayed well back, watching as she slowly drew the fan to her face, extending it to its full width, all the while watching him without even blinking.

“Hello again, Minou.”  And she slowly picked out a blade from the fan, examining the likely razor sharp tip before looking back at him.

“ _Princess_ ,” he rasped.

“I’m not your princess anymore, Chaton,” she practically spat.  “I’m Miss Fortune, and you and everyone else will know how it feels to see everything you want taken from you.  You’re a black cat, Chaton, and as the reader of fortune, I say your bad luck has come for you!” The blade came flying at Chat with impressive speed, and he barely had time to duck out of the way, the sharp metal still managing to cut his cheek as it zinged past him, arcing back and returning to Miss Fortune’s grasp like a boomerang.

Chat nearly broke down on the spot.  His lady was compromised, and he didn’t know if he had it in him to fight her.

This wasn’t going to end well.

* * *

Miss Fortune was the most powerful akuma Chat had ever encountered.  She knew his every move, his every nuance, his every weakness, and she exploited them.  It hurt him on a level, because his lady was trying to kill him, but he was very aware, that she _wasn’t_ his lady.  In fact, there were flashes of panic on her face that appeared for mere fractions of a second any time he caught her off guard.  They were dancing a dangerous tango, and Chat was entirely cognizant of the fact that he was losing, badly. For every one hit he got on her, she dealt him ten.  Their battle traveled across nearly every major area of Paris as he attempted to find an advantageous location. But she was the city’s hero, and she knew every place as well as him.

He tried to keep them out of the public eye after a while, leading her to abandoned buildings he knew about, but he and his lady often sparred in these places- there was nothing unfamiliar about them for her.  Finally Chat decided to take her to the most open place possible, and the best one he could think of that would be the clearest was the Trocadero. The entire city was virtually in hiding, except for daredevils and reporters hoping to catch the action.

Chat was beyond exhausted, and Miss Fortune showed no sign of slowing down.  For a moment he thought he had her, pinned on the ground with her fan out of reach, but he took too long to identify her akumatized object and was too taxed by the long battle to hold her for long.  She kicked him off her chest, knocking him onto his back on the hard ground, air forced out of his lungs from the impact.

As he struggled to get up, she reached down and lifted him up with a single hand under his jaw.  The black-clad hero struggled to breath, the toes of his boots barely scraping the ground as she raised him even higher.

“Would you die for her, _Minou_?” the akuma asked, voice hard and full of contempt.

“ _My lady_ ,” he gasped, “ _I’m so sorry... It’s ok... You can let go... I love you_.”  Suddenly her eyes went round, and the sneer of hatred disappeared as if it was never there.  A look of panic overtook her features again, even as she continued to hold him off the ground.

“She’s too strong, Chaton, please, _save me_.”  And she looked meaningfully at his right hand, her request clear.  Within a few seconds, though, Marinette was lost again underneath Miss Fortune, whose demeanor regarded him with disdain before smirking and pulling a blade of the fan out from her hair, where it was nestled in her bun.

Lowering him just enough, she kissed his lips sensually, then pulled back.

“Night night, Chaton,” she breathed against his lips, and, leaning back, dropped her arm swiftly down, blade in hand.  It plunged into his chest, and Chat’s eyes rolled back in his head, mouth open in a silent cry, feet kicking instinctively.

It was too much for Marinette, who emerged to the forefront again, finding the strength to lower him enough for him to plant his feet flat on the ground.  He didn’t have enough energy to remain standing, however, and nearly knocked her over with the weight of his body as he practically leaned against her side.  The person in front of him looked into his eyes, face contorted in agony.

“ _No, my Chaton!  Please, save me_ ,” she cried, tears flowing without end.  Through blurred vision, he could see Marinette disappearing again within Miss Fortune, and he couldn’t bear to leave her alone with what Hawkmoth had forced her to do.  He couldn’t let her go on to suffer defeat, to live to see her enemy take both their miraculouses, and turn the world to ash. Before he could stop himself, he lifted his right hand to the side of her face, resting against her cheek and covering an ear.

In a wheeze, he managed to gasp, “ _Cata-clysm_.”

Just before she disintegrated into dust, Chat found comfort in the look of peace that came over her face.  With no one holding him up, he collapsed to the ground, and knew no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to throw in an akumatized Marinette, and I like the pun of Miss Fortune. Plus, I figure, after that morning, she's gotta be cursing her luck.  
> An akumatized Chat Noir will appear later in the story.  
> Questions? Comments? Suggestions? They keep me going! Thanks for reading :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the first part: Ladybug and Chat Noir argue over the identity issue, specifically how Ladybug seems to know everything and trust Chat Noir with nothing.
> 
> In the second part: Adrien first turns Marinette down, then decides he made a mistake. But when he finds out she's Ladybug, he's bound to make a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fit two timelines into this chapter as we get closer to the end, so they're shorter than previous ones. I'm thinking about trying something new in the next chapter, but I'm going to keep it a surprise for now.

**Day 45** :

“Chat!  This is such an old issue, I don’t understand _why_ you can’t let it go!”

“Because you don’t trust me!  How can I trust you if you don’t do the same for me?!”

Ladybug groaned in frustration.  “UGH! Chat, this is ridiculous! We’ve been over this so many times, it’s giving me deja vu!  I’m _not_ trying to exclude you from everything, and I’m not _searching_ for more ways to keep secrets from you!  The fact I know who Rena Rouge and Carapace are is a _burden_ , not a privilege!  If something were to happen to compromise me, they could be in danger!”

“I’ve heard your excuses so many times, Ladybug, I could recite them in my _sleep_ ,” he spat venomously.

“Then, what is the problem?”

“You know what, Ladybug?  I can’t do this today. I’m _out_.  Don’t call me if you need help.  It’s not like you don’t have anyone else.”

“Jesus, could you be any more melodramatic?” Ladybug shouted as Chat Noir extended is baton to launch away from their rooftop spat.  “CHAT!”

But he was a black blur in the distance, and he wasn’t turning around.

* * *

 **Day 46** :

“ _Shit, my lady, I’m so sorry- I didn’t mean a single word, I was just angry-_ ”  Chat’s breathing was haggard, the sound of his voice raspy.

“ _I know, Chaton, it’s ok.  I should have listened more to you.  I never meant to make you feel like you don’t matter.  You’re_ everything _to me._ ”  She leaned forward, bloody, swollen lips brushing up against his dry, cracking ones.

They rested their foreheads against each other then as they huddled on the floor, the akuma glaring at them from above, unreachable ceiling towering overhead.  Hawkmoth stood off at another end of the vast cavern, observing their captivity from a distance. Not that the distance was doing him any favors. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir knew exactly who was behind that mask, even if Hawkmoth could not say the same.  And Marinette knew exactly where they were. In fact, she could _swear_ she had been here before.

The room was large- easily the size of a sports arena.  It was all very dimly lit, but there was a giant butterfly-emblemed window at one far end, and on the other, there was what could only be described as a _shrine_.  There were flowers and plants behind and on either side of a large, glass coffin, very much like Snow White, but inside was Emilie Agreste, and her resting place was illuminated by warm spotlights from above.

She could only imagine what Adrien was going through.  She even briefly wondered if they could stop all this by revealing his identity to the villain currently in the process of defeating them, but it was ultimately his choice, and she would never take that away from him.  Their eyes met. Ladybug’s earrings beeped.

“I’m sorry, Chaton.  This is all my fault.”  Chat Noir shushed her.

“My lady, my princess, _I love you_.  You could never disappoint me.”

Ladybug fought tears.

“I love you, too, kitty.  Always have.”

Her yo-yo had been broken by the akuma’s weapon, and her Lucky Charm proved a failure- _her fault_ , she supposed.  Chat still had his Cataclysm, but she wasn’t entirely sure how that was going to help them now.  Even if they could break the akuma, she wasn’t confident in her ability to capture and purify it, much less how they were supposed to fight against Hawkmoth in his own lair, even if they managed to free the akuma victim.

They had used up all their available resources, and were now without food to recharge their kwamis.  It seemed luck had, then, finally deserted them. Injured and exhausted, they weighed their options from their positions on the ground.

Ladybug set her jaw, grasping Chat’s hand for strength.

“Together,” they said in unison, and in one movement, Chat rose to his feet, swinging his lady by her arms with all his might, holding on tightly so as not to lose his grip.  Her feet struck the akuma across the face with all of their combined strength. The monster went down, stunned by the sheer force of the strike, only tottering momentarily before sinking like deadweight.

Hawkmoth sneered at them from his place by the window, standing in a prepared fencing position as he readied himself for the heroes’ assault.  Ladybug and Chat Noir wasted no time, aware of the urgency as Ladybug’s earrings beeped again. She had scant few minutes left before she was exposed and vulnerable.

Chat lunged first, using his baton as a weapon and extending it to reach Hawkmoth and knock him backward without getting too close.  The villain went flying back, landing on the floor with a thud. He quickly recovered, though, and rose to his feet as though it were an effortless reflex.

Then he and Chat were in close combat, and Ladybug was evaluating her surroundings, eyeing different objects to see what she could use in the fight.  Unfortunately, not many objects were even in the room, aside from the thousands of butterflies that swarmed above, nervously, constantly. She grabbed the only thing she could find: the sheath for Hawkmoth’s sword- the outer shell to his cane.  All at once she joined the fray, blocking as best she could, keeping Hawkmoth busy to give Chat openings to strike. Her earrings beeped again, startling her.

One of her hands flew up instinctively to an ear, and it was enough.  Instead of Ladybug blocking a hit aimed at Chat Noir, he barely managed to block it himself, stumbling back as Hawkmoth aimed a strike at his partner.  She held up the metal sheath, but she wasn’t entirely prepared, and it wasn’t really strong enough or meant to be a match for Hawkmoth’s weapon, strength, or skill.

It took only a couple of parries within even fewer seconds for her enemy to get the advantage over her, and as Chat tried to get between them, Hawkmoth whirled unexpectedly and body-checked the black-clad hero, causing him to fall awkwardly to the ground.  In the next instant, a solid foot planted against Ladybug’s chest sent her reeling backwards, crashing through one giant plate of the butterfly-shaped window just as her suit began to dissolve. Chat watched in horror as Marinette disappeared over the side of a multi-story drop.

He must have screamed because his throat suddenly felt like he was swallowing razors, but Chat didn’t hear a sound.  He couldn’t see a thing, either, except the broken shards and the empty space where his lady has just been beside him.  In a fit of fury, Chat turned to face down his enemy, his blood. Unhearing and unthinking, he called on his Cataclysm, not even aware of his own intentions.

Hawkmoth narrowed his eyes, raising his sword as Chat blocked, holding the baton in his left hand.  But his dominant, fighting arm was his right, so his balance was off. The sword glanced a blow on the inside of his elbow, slicing into him and causing him to draw it closer to his body, resting it against his left hip.  Chat nearly fell to his knees, clenching his teeth in pain. The villain in purple circled him like a slow-moving vulture, measuring his next attack.

All at once, he thrust his sword forward, just as Chat started to lunge, and the blade pierced him smoothly at a diagonal angle, entering just below his rib cage, passing through the younger man’s lung, and exiting just below his shoulder blade.  In a last desperate move, Chat swung his right arm, Cataclysm first, stunning his opponent into stumbling back and retracting the sword, but too late. Chat’s claws missed penetrating Hawkmoth’s flesh, but it caught the brooch at his neck, removing it as his destructive power destroyed it in a single swipe.  Neither of them was paying attention to their surroundings, and before either of them was aware, a detransformed Hawkmoth- Gabriel Agreste- tripped on the ledge and fell backward, following Marinette through the broken window.

Chat sunk to the floor, no longer able to stand, and crawled toward the schism, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.  Twilight filtered in through the open space, as did a cool breeze that rustled his sweaty mop of golden hair. Reaching the edge of the floor, he peered out over the breach.  Below him, sprawled out on the concrete, were Gabriel and Marinette.

She looked beautiful, almost peaceful, laying on her back with eyes closed, except for the unnatural angle of her leg, bent nearly in half at the shin.  Her head was turned slightly to the side, one arm extended in a way that was reminiscent of Michaelangelo’s painting of Adam reaching out to God. The other rested across her chest.  Underneath her head was a pool of blood, not unlike a great red halo.

Chat heard his earrings beep, so he wheezed out, nearly inaudibly, “ _C-claws... in_.”

Plagg emerged immediately, resting on his chosen’s shoulder and trying to brush the hair back from his face.

“ _Kid...._ ”

“‘ _S-ok, Plagg_ ,” the blond boy managed, one arm reaching out the window toward his princess, eyes drifting closed.  “ _M- my Mari-_ ”

And those were the last words he spoke.

* * *

* * *

**Day 59** :

Adrien felt terrible, not just like he had unintentionally hurt someone, but like he had done something _wrong_.  There was a tightness in his chest, like he was being dishonest when he told Marinette he couldn’t betray the fact he already had feelings for someone else (even if Ladybug wasn’t visibly interested in him).  She brushed it off, strong and composed, telling him it was ok; she didn’t know why she told him, anyway, because she was experiencing something similar. She should really figure her feelings out, she said, and offered him her sincerest best wishes.

She seemed ok- more ok than he would have expected, considering how passionate she could be at times- but it kept digging at him, like he needed to go back and stay with her until she was _really_ ok.  He would wrap an arm around her shoulders, hold her close, show her how much he loved her.

As a friend.

Only as a friend.

Adrien shook his head, confused by the direction of his thoughts.  He couldn’t remember thinking of Marinette romantically before, so what had suddenly changed?  Adrien paced the empty courtyard, late to class but unable to concentrate on anything with the Lunch Incident™ so heavily weighing on his mind.  As he walked along, several things started clicking in his head. He shouldn’t be feeling this strongly drawn to someone who was Just a Friend. Maybe it was time for him to accept that his feelings for Marinette ran a little deeper.  Maybe it was time to let go of the dream of Ladybug, the perfect ideal always out of his reach.

Marinette could make him happy, he realized.

He could love her.

...And he rejected her.

It struck him like a lightning bolt to the heart.   _Shit.  I have to find her_ .  Adrien quickened his pace, desperate to find Marinette and tell her he was wrong, and _please, ask me again_.

As he passed one of the locker rooms, he heard a sniffle and a deep, baritone voice.

“It’s ok, Marinette.  You’re going to be ok.”

The voice made his stomach lurch.  Whoever it was, was talking to Marinette, was _consoling_ Marinette, and it was a _he_.  Adrien felt his metaphorical hackles rise, a growl churning deep in his chest as he tried to control his visceral reaction to this information.

As surreptitiously as possible, he peeked over the edge of a high window.  There, inside the locker room, was Luka, an arm cradling Marinette as she leaned against him.  As he watched, Marinette gave the blue-haired man a small, reassuring smile.

“I’m really ok, Luka.  Thank you for coming when I called.  It was silly of me, and I’m better now.  You should really get back to work before your lunch is over.”

Luka smiled fondly down at her, brushing some of the hair out of her face and placing an affectionate kiss on her cheek.

“You’re an amazing girl, Marinette.  Anyone who can’t see that doesn’t deserve you.”

The words stung Adrien because they were true.  He didn’t deserve Marinette, he knew.

Luka rose to leave, waving as he walked out of the room and toward the exit.  Adrien rested his back against the wall, unseen by either. He knew he didn’t deserve Marinette, but he was damned if he wasn’t going to try to make it up to her.  He pushed away from the wall to walk into the locker room, but the sound of voices stopped him in his tracks.

Was she... was Marinette _talking_ to herself?  While he didn’t find it weird, he didn’t want to interrupt her moment and make her feel self-conscious, so he waited.

“I’m really ok, Tikki.  I should never have approached Adrien like that when I still can’t figure out my feelings for _someone else_.”

There was a hum of agreement, and Adrien’s mind raced.  Tikki. Why did that sound so familiar.

A hunch overcame him, and he whirled around as silently as possible to peek once again through the glass.  Hovering in front of Marinette was the cutest little red _thing_ he had ever seen, head bulbous with two thin antennae, four nub-like limbs, and even a feather-like tail.  On the red body were several large black spots, and Adrien realized _exactly_ what he was looking at.

_Oh. My. Fucking. God._

Why was this his life?  He didn’t just turn Marinette down, he turned _his lady_ down.  Because of course he would be approached by her in civilian form and say _no_ , that was kind of his life thing- terrible luck.

There was no way he could let her get away now.

Taking a deep breath, Adrien purposely walked as loudly as he could (no small feat for someone who was basically a human cat) to alert Marinette to his presence.  Sure enough, when he entered the locker room, there was no kwami to be seen. Adrien pretended to be pleasantly surprised to see her, taking a seat on the bench beside her and giving her his sincerest apologetic face.  (To be fair, it was sincere- he was so _very_ sorry).

It took some convincing, but eventually Adrien managed to persuade Marinette he genuinely liked her, not as a second choice, and not because he felt sorry, and he would be honored if she still wanted to go on a date together.  She said yes, albeit apprehensively. Adrien was overjoyed. Things were _finally_ turning out right.

* * *

Things most certainly were _not_ turning out right.

Adrien made several slip-ups throughout the rest of the day.

First, he couldn’t stop acting like _Chat Noir_ , and it was affecting Marinette.  She seemed to want to disappear whenever he threw her a smirk, said something flirty in her ear, or even winked.  She would turn red, start muttering to herself about not being fickle or something, and practically run away.

And then he _really_ screwed things up.

Adrien was concerned Marinette would figure out his secret, so he did something stupid.  He was on a rooftop with Ladybug, so excited to share his good news with his superhero partner about his _new_ lady love (and thus remove all suspicion that he was the very blond boy who had been scaring her all afternoon) when, on a sigh, he so _innocently_ said:

“Ah, Mari, I’m so happy.”

Ladybug tensed beside him, taut like a string.

“What did you say, Chaton?”  Her voice was level, nonchalant even, but Chat wasn’t fooled.  He quickly went over the words that just came out of his mouth and nearly fell off the roof.

“Uhhhh, I uhhh-”

“What did you call me?” she asked this time, ignoring his inarticulate gibberish.

“I, uh, called you... my lady?”

Her eyes were intense and calculating when she looked at him.

“No you didn’t, Chaton.  Why did you call me _Mari_?”

Chat didn’t know what to say.  Curse his stupid mouth. He began stammering and babbling.

“Well, it, uh, I mean, that is, I called you, uh, Mu-Mardi, um I mean, Mari because, uh, because... that’s- that’s... your name?”

He couldn’t stop the word vomit, couldn’t stop the trainwreck that was coming _out of his face_.

“And how do you know that, Chaton?  Have you been spying on me?”

Chat gaped at her.  Was she really not connecting the dots?

“No,” he replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.  “When I saw you in the locker room with Tikki, it was completely an accident.”

They both sucked in a breath, him because he couldn’t believe he just said that, and her because... well... she couldn’t believe he just _said that_.  Which could only mean....

“Oh, God,” she whispered.  “ _Adrien_?”  The look on his face was confirmation enough.  She jumped to her feet. “Is that the real reason you came to talk to me in the locker room, because you found out who I was?  I knew it was too good to be true!” And before he could stop her, she cast her yo-yo and launched out into the night.

* * *

 **Day 60** :

If Tikki wasn’t absorbed into the earrings, she would have been experiencing severe flashbacks.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were in the atrium, fighting a losing battle against Hawkmoth, and it was so much like that fateful day, that it made both heroes’ heads spin.  They were bleeding and tired, and nearly on the last spots of their transformations. Suddenly Chat was on the floor, a gash in his head as he was struck particularly hard on the top of his skull.  Ladybug took up his baton to fight against Hawkmoth, but stood no chance against the villain. The blade was coming straight for her chest when she heard a scream of “ _NOOOO!_ ”

Before she knew what was happening, Chat Noir’s body was in front of her, attempting to shield her, but the sword passed through his chest cavity, stabbing partly into her as well.  As Hawkmoth drew back, her partner collapsed in her arms, causing them both to fall to the floor.

“ _No, ADRIEN!_ ” she cried, trying to do anything to make him respond.  Looking at his chest, she could see that the rapier ran him through on the left and would have gone straight through his heart.  Sure enough, the puddle of blood below them had grown exponentially during the last few seconds as his heart seized and pumped blood directly out through the wound.

Marinette was finding it increasingly hard to breathe, and lay down beside him, no longer caring what happened to her if she had to live in a world where her Adrien, her Chat Noir didn’t exist.  As her vision began to blur, a green light flashed before her eyes, revealing the boy of her every dream in front of her. His face was colorless, lips unmoving, eyes closed. She felt for the pulse on his neck, but found none.  Pressed her ear against his wet, sticky chest, but heard nothing. Feeling the encroaching darkness, she lay her head on his still chest, only now noticing someone tall, thin, and dressed in purple kneeling beside them, his hands reaching out-

If he wanted her miraculous, he could have them, she decided, she didn’t care anymore.  Deciding she would much rather sleep, she closed her eyes, and the world fell away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: we get a new perspective we haven't seen yet.
> 
> Questions, comments, suggestions? They give me life! Thanks for reading :)


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Gabriel Agreste- world's greatest father.
> 
> Adrien goes missing from school, and Gabriel deals with some enlightening information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited for this chapter! I knew I wanted to do something in the perspective of Gabriel, but it wasn't until this chapter came along that I saw a golden opportunity! We're in the end game now, guys. Final timeline is coming up, and it stretches out for several chapters to deal with the open issues that defeating Hawkmoth creates.
> 
> Also, I added in some crack because, you know, comic relief and all that.

**Day 77** :

His eyes flew open like the flip of a switch.  The sun was barely beginning to bring light to the sky, and it was too early even for the birds, but it was by no means unusually early for _this_ man to awaken.  Gabriel Agreste was, after all, nothing if not a man of discipline.  It was more uncommon for him to wake after the sun than it was for him to rise before it, and in reality, it was practical for many reasons- his time-consuming dual careers as Paris’ most renowned fashion designer and most hated (and only) supervillain being the top two.

It was many years- decades even- since he even had to use an alarm.  His body was so naturally attuned to early mornings, that they were entirely unnecessary.  Immediately, he sat up and turned his body so that his legs were bent over the edge of the mattress, his feet planted on the floor in a single move.  Tired had long ceased to be a relevant adjective and more of a permanent state of existence, as though it was as much a part of him as the blondish-white of his hair, or the cool, vacant grey of his eyes, though it was not always so.  Ever since Emilie was... _injured_ , his exhaustion seemed to grow a thousandfold, seeping deep within his marrow to become part of his bones.  But he did not complain- would not complain. It was beneath him; it wasn’t constructive. Lamenting his state would do nothing toward accomplishing his goal and ending his long, taxing war.  If anything, it would prolong the process and make him apt to self-pity, which would only encourage more of the same and distract him from his purpose.

Gabriel stood up from his bed, with slightly more difficulty than in years past- aging catches up to everyone, eventually.  His body was not as quick, fluid, or agile as it once was, but he made a point to maintain his fitness for its own sake, and for his alter ego.  Given, his suit gave him greater speed and eliminated any problems he had with his joints while he was transformed, but taking care of himself outside the suit was an important part of that, too.

In his restroom, he went through the same routine he had been following for the last twenty years.  As soon as he reached the restroom, he turned the warm water spigot in the large shower, allowing it to fill the room with steam as he brushed his teeth and undressed from his silk pajamas- which were probably worth more than money than most people spend on their entire wardrobe.  He grabbed a fresh towel from the linen closet, hung it from the rack by the shower door, and entered the enormous glass cage. It took him exactly 5 minutes and 34 seconds to wash himself entirely from head to foot, just as it did every other day. As he exited the shower, towel drying himself off and wrapping it around his waist, he padded his feet over the cold tile floor toward the sink, taking out his old-fashioned razor, lathered his face with shaving butter using a thick brush, and began carefully whittling away the night’s growth from his face.  

After replacing everything in the exact place and position it always sat, he grabbed the comb and hair product he was in the habit of using and styled his hair in the same slicked back coif he was so well known for.  Then he walked toward his immense closet, hand picking his most favored combination of clothing as he tossed the towel from his waist to a hamper against the wall. Within very few minutes, Gabriel Agreste was fully dressed and ready for the day, from the perfect placement of every hair on his head- not a single one out of place- to the straight light on his perfectly pressed, fitted red slacks.  Raising a hand, he adjusted his white and red striped cravat, as he always did, barely catching a glimpse of the purple gem hiding beneath.

Unlike everyday, however, Gabriel paused slightly in his habitual movement when the brooch flicked in his field of vision.  Whereas usually he found it a comforting reminder of what he would one day achieve, for just a moment, it made him feel unsteady, fearful even, as though his conscience were suddenly telling him that he had done something wrong- something unforgivable.  His heart raced and his hands trembled slightly. He shook off the feeling, however, lightly nodding his head from side to side as he let go of the tie and smoothed his hands on his pants nervously. It was only then that he noticed his hands were clammy.  Pushing the odd moment out of his mind, he continued on in his routine, exiting his closet and room as he made his way to his office where he would expect half a grapefruit and a glass of water for breakfast at exactly 8:30.

* * *

Gabriel worked through the better half of the morning and into the early afternoon.  Part-time villain or not, his company and name would not suffer. Some of the time he spent drafting designs for the next season’s line, some of it he read through the notes Nathalie sent him on the current line’s progress, when future meetings were set up (always via camera or in the conference room he had renovated in the house), and what Adrien’s current schedule included.

 _Adrien_.

Everytime he was reminded of Adrien, he felt an intense pain in his chest, almost like he was being stabbed through the heart with a very fine, very sharp object.  He couldn’t ever recall feeling this way, except for that brief moment when Adrien was falling from the top of a skyscraper the day his bodyguard was akumatized into Gorizilla.  For those brief seconds, he was afraid his son was going to die, all because he wanted to entrap him into transforming into a superhero when that wasn’t even possible. He put his son’s life at risk that day.  So where was this feeling coming from? He did everything in his power to keep Adrien safe, singular lapse in judgment aside, to keep him accounted for and busy with activities that would only make him a more intelligent, more successful human being.

Gabriel was so lost in his thoughts, he startled when Nathalie opened his office door, tablet in hand.

“Sir, I’ve been informed Adrien left school sometime after lunch, and he is not scheduled for any activities until later this afternoon.”

Genuine fear flared within Gabriel’s chest- an emotion which was never welcome to the composed, always in control, man.  He glowered, noticing the anxiety on his assistant’s face.

“What do you mean he’s not at school?  Wasn’t he escorted there this morning?”

“Yes, sir, he arrived at the same time as usual.  But at some point during the lunch period, he disappeared from the premises, and has not returned.  No one seems to know where he is.”

“How is that possible?  People don’t just _disappear_ .  Track his phone, call his friends, I don’t care what you have to do, just _find my son_.”  Though his voice was barely raised, it was no less effective at instilling the intended alarm in its target.

Managing to maintain her composure, Nathalie uttered a hurried, “Yes, sir,” and exited the room.

* * *

Gabriel had no appetite for his late lunch when it arrived.  After Nathalie left, he sat in his chair, thoughts racing as to where his son could have disappeared and _why_.

Ever since Gorizilla, the idea that Adrien could still be Chat Noir, despite appearances, plagued him.  He had seen virtually incontrovertible proof that he was _not_ \- having seen Adrien in the same place as Chat Noir, and at the same time, but his relief did not last.  Doubts continued to enter his mind. It was possible for a person to fake such a thing, wasn’t it? A deception would not be impossible, as his own stunt akumatizing himself into the Collector had proved.  Just _how_ it could have been done he had never been able to figure out, but the thought nonetheless persistently nagged at his subconscious that is _was possible_.

Even if that were true, though, what would that have to do with his sudden disappearance?  Gabriel found himself peering out his office window at the Paris skyline, as though searching for clues as to where his son was hiding.

Because that was it, wasn’t it?  He had to be _hiding_ .  It had to be _willful_ .  He made a _choice_.  Despite not being the world’s most hands-on father, Gabriel remained very aware of everything going on in Adrien’s life.  He knew there were no current threats, no dangerously obsessive fans that might seek to kidnap or harm him. If his son was missing, then, it had to be through an act of his own doing.  But why?

Nathalie re-entered the office, visibly composed if not for the slightly out-of-place hair falling in front of her face.  For a second, Gabriel couldn’t help thinking it was very eye-catching.

“I’ve attempted to track Adrien’s phone, sir, but either he has disabled the tracking himself, or his phone is not currently on.  I’m inclined to believe the latter as attempts to reach him have only led straight to voicemail.”

Gabriel remained silent, waiting for the rest of her report.

“After talking to Adrien’s friends, it is not immediately apparent that anyone knows where he is.  And after further discussion with the school employees, it’s come to light that Adrien is not the only person who has disappeared from school today.”  Gabriel’s eyebrows rose, and Nathalie paused briefly. “It appears a Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng is also unaccounted for, having left sometime shortly before Adrien, and also not yet returned.  Efforts to contact her parents have not yielded any satisfactory results. They claim not to know where she is, either, and calls to her phone have likewise led straight to voicemail.” And she handed him a tablet with a profile  of the girl in question open on the screen. Then she added, “Adrien’s bodyguard has been and still is scouring the city in search of him, beginning with the locations Adrien frequents most.”

Gabriel’s mouth twitched in annoyance.  It would appear his son was most definitely _not_ in danger, not unless that danger included being held captive by a slight, short, half-Chinese amateur designer, and wherever Adrien was, Gabriel highly doubted that he was either alone or being held against his will.  Looking up and handing the tablet back to Nathalie, Gabriel turned his gaze away from his assistant and back toward the outdoors.

“That will be all, Nathalie.  Notify me when you have new information.”

He did not see it, but he knew that Nathalie nodded, almost bowing slightly, before she exited the room.

The office returned to its previous silence.  As he looked out at nothing, Gabriel’s mind wandered to what should be done about the situation with Adrien.  Ever since Emilie “disappeared,” Gabriel’s control on Adrien had slowly been ebbing away. It seemed the more he _needed_ to keep Adrien safe and secure, the more Adrien fought against his constraints, and the more Gabriel wanted to tighten his leash.

But he was steadily losing grip.

First it was school.  Gabriel still couldn’t recall what possessed him to allow Adrien to attend school, other than his fear that the young boy would keep running away just to be there.  And, if there was a little place in his heart that wanted to give his son the opportunity to find comfort in the presence of others, especially when his mother was missing, then he would not readily admit it.  Such sentimentality was not in line with his expectations.

After the school decision, it was as though the dam had broken.  Adrien was not uncommonly found missing, from his room, or from his bodyguard’s care- it didn’t matter.  He would find even the most negligible opportunities to escape and exploit them. It became something of a talent of his, and after a while, Gabriel attempted to loosen his hold _just slightly_ , enough to prevent him from _needing_ to run away as often as he did.

There was also the company he kept.  Gabriel was by no means a social snob.  After all, he was not born rich and successful.  But there was a certain decorum that Gabriel expected of his son, and especially of the individuals with which Adrien chose to surround himself.  Chloe Bourgeois, though spoiled and selfish, was not as influential on Adrien as she liked to think. She was too mean-spirited to negatively influence Adrien- if anything, she likely inspired him to be nicer to everyone around him, if only to avoid being seen the way people saw her.

If Gabriel had to choose a _preferred_ friend of Adrien’s, however, he supposed he would choose Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng.  Out of his friends, she was the most level-headed, the most emotionally stable, the most talented, and the most respectful.  Adrien could do worse than Marinette Dupain-Cheng, that was for certain, though that did not make Gabriel less irritated at his son’s sudden disregard for propriety.  One simply does not skip school to _rendezvous_ with a classmate.

When Adrien turned back up, as he surely would, Gabriel was going to have a talk with his son.  And he was going to make sure it was long and uncomfortable, and that it would include a demonstration of how to properly apply a condom.  If his son was going to insist on practicing the birds and the bees, then he would have to sit through a lecture on the importance of _a time and place_ , as well as how those birds and bees work, public education be damned.

Grabbing his tablet, he sent Nathalie a note to supply him with condoms and bananas.

And if she blushed cherry red, staring at the screen in shock before the _real_ reason he requested those items occurred to her, he would never know.

* * *

It was hours later, and there still was no news of Adrien, though his female friend did eventually return home with claims of a migraine.  There had been, however, a multitude of potential akumas he could sense, and (oddly) pacified that Adrien was probably secretly holed up somewhere... _indoors_ , and possibly above a well-known bakery, Gabriel could see no worthwhile reason to pass up the opportunity to make a play for Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses.

In truth, as the years had passed and he continued to get older and more tired, his desperation was growing, and it showed.  Akumas were much more powerful and dangerous than before. The methods he resorted to were escalating in intensity. He had begun to consider confronting the heroes himself again, if the right circumstances presented themselves and the right akuma emerged as bait.

So it was that, late in the afternoon, Gabriel sensed an opportunity and descended to his lair.  When he called upon his transformation, he was overcome with the intensity of his potential victim’s emotions.  So helpless, and sad- _desperate_ to be of use, to be of comfort.  Hawkmoth zeroed in on this individual, concentrating his feelings and imbuing them on the white butterfly in his hands, turning it purple.  It appeared his luck was finally turning in his favor, as he thought about just who his next victim would be.

Before long, he felt the surge of connection, suddenly seeing into a pair of bright green eyes surrounding by a black mask.  With a sinister smile, the villain spoke.

“ _Chevalier Blanc, your loved one has rejected your desire to help, and who can blame her?  The luck of a black cat is not a thing that is easily ignored. Allow me to help you, Chevalier Blanc, and make you into someone whom no one would ever doubt again.  But in return, I want Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses._ ”

Hawkmoth’s chest filled with deep satisfaction as he heard his victim’s response.

“You’ve got a deal, Hawkmoth.”

Then the akuma took hold, covering Chat Noir’s body in a purple haze, which, after dissipating, revealed not a black-covered hero, but a white-clad “knight.”

* * *

Chevalier Blanc bounded over the rooftops, having hid until the sun went down, with a specific destination in mind: the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

When the building came into view, Hawkmoth inhaled in surprise, recognizing it almost immediately and remembering that odd hunch he had about just who was under the black- now turned white- mask.

The akumatized hero landed with a quiet thud on the balcony roof, and within seconds a small, dark-haired form emerged from below.

“Chat Noir, what’s going on?”

Hawkmoth tentatively wondered whether he was looking through the eyes of his own son.

“Good evening, _purr_ -incess,” came the voice on the other end of the psychic connection.  “I would have been here sooner, but I was concerned people might see me on your balcony, so I waited for the sun to set.”  Hawkmoth could feel his emotions rising and falling like a roller coaster. Elation upon seeing her, disappointment when she didn’t immediately greet him with enthusiasm, self-satisfaction at having been considerate enough not to disturb her during the day when everyone would see.  Then a twinge of sadness took over again. “I heard you had a rough day, so I came to offer my services.”

Through Chevalier, Hawkmoth could see the girl’s eyes grow wide.

“I... that’s nice of you, Chat, but... _why are you white?_ ”

Hawkmoth heard a grunt, Chevalier’s emotions taking another dive.

“I’m sorry, princess, I was a bit upset over your apparent distress, and it seems Hawkmoth found me.  I’m supposed to be _Chevalier Blanc_ now, but don’t worry- I’m not here to hurt you.  Quite the opposite, actually.”

The girl did not appear comforted by this.

“Chat, shouldn’t you find Ladybug so she can de-akumatize you?!”

Hawkmoth internally sneered as the boy in front of Marinette responded.

“I don’t know if I can be trusted around her, to be honest, princess.  I could never harm you- it is my goal to make you feel better, after all- but I don’t know how much control Hawkmoth has over my actions, so I would really rather avoid Ladybug until I can get myself out of this.”

Hawkmoth was none too pleased with this admission, and immediately protested.

“ _Just who do you think you’re fooling, boy?  I can take back your akuma any moment I please, and I suggest you remember just who you’re dealing with!_ ”  And just like that, he let his fury filter across the link, likely overwhelming Chevalier Blanc’s mind with the flood of emotion.  Hawkmoth’s vision turned dark for a moment as though the boy on the other end was closing his eyes.

“Hawkmoth isn’t very happy with my procrastination, it seems.”

Then Hawkmoth could see again, and the girl in front of his akuma was on the verge of crying.  He saw her reach a hand up toward Chevalier’s face.

“What can I do, Chat?”

Hawkmoth scoffed.  As if this little civilian girl could do anything.

He could feel Chevalier’s emotions lowering more and more.  

“You shouldn’t call me that, princess,” came the voice- it was so familiar.  “I’m not your Chat right now. It’s an insult to him, and an insult to you.”

Grabbing his chin, the girl replied, “You will always be my Chat.  Now, tell me what I can do.”

Hawkmoth was getting tired of this scene, but he knew he would get no assistance out of the former hero without allowing him to fulfill his quest first.

“Let me help you,” Chevalier Blanc responded.  “I need to make you feel better- I need to _know_ you feel better.  Then my purpose is complete.”

“You already have, Chaton.”  

His emotions skyrocketed upward again, nearly disorienting Hawkmoth with vertigo.  Hawkmoth took this moment to interrupt.

“ _Your end of the bargain is fulfilled, Chevalier Blanc.  Now, you must find Ladybug!_ ”  But the akuma ignored him as Marinette continued.  

“I had a really bad day today.  I had a migraine, and then my own personal bully set out to trip me and embarrass me in front of everyone.  She announced my feelings to the person I’ve been in love with for 4 years, and that’s not even the worst of it.  The worst of it was, he was waiting for me to tell him, looking at me with those kind, beautiful eyes- with... with _your_ eyes.  Chat’s eyes.”  Hawkmoth felt a sense of hesitation overwhelm him.  Was this the confirmation he was needing?

But she wasn’t done yet.  “And even more, I’m not sure when, but I think that, even though I love him, that I also love... _you_ .  And just you being here- you got akumatized because you _care_ about me, Chat, and I just- I couldn’t ask for a better friend.  You’re always my white knight, Chat. You don’t need this silly suit for that.  You just need to be _you_.”

Hawkmoth felt the surge of positive emotions- of euphoria that felt extremely similar to the high of being in love.  It was clear to him that this akuma, this _hero_ , was in love with the girl in front of him.  Briefly, Hawkmoth considered if that could be used to his advantage.

He was jolted out of his thoughts, however, by the voice echoing in his head.

“I’ve always loved Ladybug.  But I think I also love you. Maybe I always have.  Everything Ladybug is, you are, too, and _more_.”

Then Chevalier Blanc was leaning closer to her, and Hawkmoth knew exactly what was coming.   _Oof.  Unintended pun_ , he grimaced.

Hawkmoth retreated from the connection as much as he possibly could as the akuma kissed the Dupain-Cheng girl with intense passion and desire.  It made him feel like he was intruding, but more than that, it made him uncomfortable, like he was watching the beginning of a soft porno.

He was standing with his eyes squeezed shut, index finger and thumb pinching the bridge of his nose between his eyes, when he heard and felt something that abruptly brought him back to full awareness.  Chevalier Blanc was still quite enthusiastically ravaging the young girl- _Hawkmoth cringed_ \- but as he was nibbling on her neck, he said, “ _It’s_ ... _in_ ... _my pocket_.”

A sense of self-preservation and irritation took over Hawkmoth, overwhelming his mild embarrassment.

“ _What_ ... _is?_ ” he heard the girl reply.

“ _Your... lucky... charm....  The... akuma... my... lady._ ”

Hawkmoth stood frozen for a second.  Did he just hear right? Had Chevalier Blanc just referred to the girl as his _lady_ ?  Hawkmoth was by no means a “Ladynoir shipper,”- _Ugh_ , he shuddered, _the very thought_ \- but he recognized the many endearments the black cat often used to denote his partner.

Come to think of it, Chat Noir was so besotted with Ladybug, he didn’t know why he didn’t realize sooner that it was highly improbable that the hero would have sought the affections of anyone else, emotionally-compromised akuma or no.  Then he heard it, and _felt it_ , the subtle, unmistakable sound of a zipper opening.

 _The akuma_.

Reflexively, Hawkmoth forced his hand- that is, Chevalier Blanc’s hand- as it stopped the journey of the girl’s own.  Grabbing her by the wrist, he prevented her from removing the akuma from his suit pocket.

“I can’t help it,” Hawkmoth heard him say.  “Hawkmoth is trying to protect his akuma.”

The villain tried to remain in control of the akuma, but this girl- _Ladybug_ , he assumed- was too resourceful and intelligent to be that easily defeated.

“Then focus on me,” her voice uttered, and Hawkmoth felt a rush of adrenaline, testosterone, and endorphins clouding Chevalier Blanc’s brain.  His ability to see clearly through the veil of the boy’s hormone-addled mind eroded. He glared, eyes narrowed, as he could hear the sounds of lustful grunting.  His only consolation was that he couldn’t see any of it, the akuma’s eyes most likely being closed in pleasure.

Suddenly, he could see again, but the girl was standing a few feet away from Chevalier Blanc, looking right at him, akumatized object in her hand.  He was about to force the akuma to lunge for it, but heard, “I love you, Chaton,” and, briefly seeing her grab it from both ends, the connection was lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope that was as satisfying for you all as it was for me. Gabe isn't the world's greatest dad (obvs) and he's even worse in future chapters (because duh), but I like to think that somewhere deep down, he thinks he's doing the right thing for everyone in the long run- or at least, for his family.
> 
> Also, I made Chat "Chevalier Blanc" ("White Knight") because I feel like  
> A) it's more fitting with his purpose and  
> B) it's a combination of him calling himself her "knight" and the common fanfic akuma Chat Blanc (which I still love)
> 
> In the next chapter: we see the same day, focusing instead on Adrien and Marinette, and how it leads us into the timeline to end all timelines.
> 
> Questions, comments, suggestions? They keep me going! I'm so grateful for each and every one who has continued to support this story!
> 
> Note: I've updated tags to include spoilers because, you know, that's something I really should have done in the beginning and just didn't think about it.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see the same day as the previous chapter, but the events surrounding Adrien and Marinette, including the other side of the incident between Chevalier Blanc/Chat Noir and Marinette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you think it, that day is right. This is ALSO day 77, the same day as the previous chapter in which Adrien went missing and Gabriel akumatized Chat Noir.

**Day 77** :

Arriving in front of her school, Marinette couldn’t shake the feeling like there was something she was supposed to remember about today, but she couldn’t recall what it was.

Tikki was no help, clamming up almost as soon as Marinette rose out of bed.  The only time she responded to anything was when Marinette confessed she had some misgivings about confessing to Adrien that day.  She remembered being so excited about it the night before (why did it feel so much longer ago than that?), but seemingly overnight, something changed.  She tried to ask Tikki her opinion, but she didn’t offer it- instead she only made a slight “mm” sound when Marinette announced she was going to hold off on her plan.

Which, honestly, was weird.  Tikki was such a bubble of positivity.  Not only was she in some sort of weird mood, but she was actually encouraging Marinette’s procrastination.  Still, she wouldn’t say much of anything, no matter what Marinette did.

The girl pondered her kwami’s odd behavior on her journey to school, but now arrived, she had no more answers than when she left her house.  Snapping her purse open surreptitiously, she snuck a peek down at the tiny red being, who refused to meet her gaze.

Marinette’s frown increased, but her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.  Alya was calling to her from the top of the steps.

“Marinette!”

The blue-haired girl made her way up, resolving to make the most of what was already proving to be a challenging day.

* * *

If only that outlook would last.

Alya hounded her incessantly as they approached their seats for class, completely perplexed by Marinette’s sudden change of mind.  The fact Marinette couldn’t explain just _why_ she no longer wanted to talk to Adrien about her feelings, wasn’t very satisfying to the reporter, either.

Truthfully, Marinette could barely understand it herself.  Every time she considered the many ways that situation could go, she came up with very dark, disturbing scenarios that surprised even her with their detail and imaginitivity.  Just the thought of telling Adrien she loved him left her feeling anxious and antsy in a totally different way than normal. It was more like feelings of foreboding, as though the conversation would lead to something terrible.  The whole idea was completely irrational, but she couldn’t help it.

To make things worse, her feelings for Chat were beginning to become confused, which, suffice to say, bewildered her to no end.  She never had any feelings for her partner before that were anything more than platonic, and it was as though she woke up one day with feelings too deep to understand.  Internally, Marinette mused over the possibility that she fell into a wormhole somehow and was stuck in some sort of parallel universe.

That was crazy, right?

Adrien entered the room just then, golden hair reflecting the light streaming in from the windows as though he were Apollo himself.

The light cast a shadow on his face as he turned slightly, obstructing some of the upper half of his face, and causing Marinette to nearly gasp.

She inhaled sharply and her head swam.  For a second, she felt like she was going to pass out.  Because for a split second, Adrien had looked _exactly_ like Chat Noir.

It didn’t help that her sudden, slightly loud in the quiet of the room, intake of breath drew his attention to her.  When his eyes settled on her face, the deep green of them almost glowed.

Taking deep breaths, Marinette closed her eyes and tucked her head between her knees, trying to get her mind to calm down and the room to stop spinning.

It was ridiculous- preposterous- what other synonyms could she come up with for just how unbelievably impossible and incredible the whole idea was?

Alya was talking in her ear, thinking she was having an Adrien-inspired meltdown- something she hadn’t experienced in years.

Then he was there by her side, checking on her, and as she raised her gaze to assure him she was all right, her brain nearly crashed.

She started to say, “I’m fine, Adrien.”

But instead, she said, “I’m fine, Cha-”

The only thing that stopped her was a sharp pain in her head, like an ice pick was lodged in her skull.  She bowled over, clutching the sides of her face, eyes scrunched in agony.

Adrien and Alya stared on at her in horror for a moment before Alya got the professor’s permission to escort her friend to the nurse.

And because she couldn’t walk due to the pain in her head, Adrien carried her the whole way.

* * *

The nurse told Marinette she had a migraine from stress and lack of sleep, and Marinette was inclined to agree.  She remained resting on a cot until nearly lunch time, when she felt well enough to return to classes.

As she made her way through the lunch room, however, she caught sight of Adrien, Nino, and Alya eating together.  Watching the blond boy laugh heartily, her mind flashed to a memory of Chat chuckling at his own pun. She shook the image out of her head and proceeded to the lunch line.  On her way to sit with her friends, she saw him wave at her and smile widely, and again she was reminded of a very similar smile on a very similar, though mask-covered, face.  So distracted was she, she didn’t notice a foot resting out in the aisle until it was too late.

The next thing she knew, she was sprawled out all over the floor, food smeared on the tile, forearms most likely bruised.  Chloe sneered at her from above.

“Well, aren’t you pathetic?”

Marinette looked around, more surprised than embarrassed, letting go of the tray in her grip to raise up on her hands.

“No more than a spoiled brat so desperate for attention that she has to knock other people down to get it.”

The blonde’s haughty smirk morphed into an angry glare.

“Trust me, Marinette, _no one_ is as pathetic as you!”

In the corner of her eye, Marinette could see Adrien walking closer with a furious look on his face.  Chloe noticed it, too.

With a look of triumph, she spat, “You’re so pathetic, there’s no way Adrien will _ever_ see you as anything more than a clumsy, stuttering, useless _nobody_ .  The fact he hasn’t gotten a restraining order against you yet is beyond me- it’s not like your hopeless little crush on him is a _secret_.”

The room went silent.  It was true her feelings were not a secret among the common population, but the one person whose awareness mattered most was distinctly _un_ aware of them- until now, that is.

Marinette slowly turned to face Adrien, who was gaping at her side, his eyes flicking back and forth between her own flushed face and the smug, spiteful look Chloe was exhibiting.

But then his expression took on a scowl.  “Chloe, that’s enough!”

Everyone’s attention flew immediately to him.

“I don’t know what your personal problem is with Marinette, seeing as how she’s never done a single thing to you, but whatever it is, either let it go, or take it up with _me_.”  Then Marinette felt an arm around her shoulders, and Adrien led her off toward the exit doors.

They took a seat in a nearby bench, Marinette still struck mute from shock.  Adrien didn’t talk to Chloe like that. He was always inclined to believe she was a redeemable person, always remembered her good qualities and hoped they could be nurtured into making her a better person.

Truthfully, she had made some progress as they grew older, but she had a bit of a trigger button- and that button involved Marinette and Adrien.  She would never admit it, but Marinette made her feel insecure just by being so well-liked. And, in some ways, Chloe always felt like Marinette had stolen her only real friend.  It was a toxic, threatening combination.

She’d never stopped to consider that she _could_ be friendlier and more likeable, or that she had driven away her friend all on her own.  And it wasn’t obvious to her how Adrien continually believed in her ability to become a better person, which was the reason why he essentially never scolded her, especially in public.

But he had a soft spot for his blue-haired classmate, one he wasn’t very aware of, just like he wasn’t aware of the way she truly felt about him.

He watched her softly as they sat there, her vision focused on the floor.

“You’re not hurt, are you?” he finally asked, eyes and voice gentle.

She shook her head, still not looking up.

Adrien _wanted_ her to be ok- he wanted to _help_ her be ok, but he didn’t know how.  He felt partly responsible, too, because he knew Chloe’s treatment of her had at least _something_ to do with him.  What she said about Marinette’s feelings for him nagged at the back of his mind, but he didn’t feel like it was a good time to talk to her about it.

“Maybe when you’re ready, we can talk?”

She finally looked up at him, obviously still embarrassed if the shade of red covering her face was anything to go by- but there was something more there.  She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, both panicked and afraid.

“No pressure,” he amended, “I just thought... I just really want to make sure everything is ok.”

Marinette nodded slowly, then quietly mumbled.  “My head is hurting again, so I think I’m going to go home.  I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow, ok?”

When she turned to leave, though, he caught her arm, causing her to stop and turn back around.  

It was selfish, and maybe a little egocentric, but he said it anyway.

“Marinette, _please_ .   _Stay_.”

Her shoulders sunk dejectedly as her eyes met his, regretful and apologetic.

“Adrien, I’m sorry, but you _can’t_ fix this for me.”

Adrien nodded, letting her arm go and stepping back, feeling more useless than ever before.  He wanted to help her, if only she would let him.

After Marinette disappeared down the hall, he decided if she wouldn’t accept Adrien Agreste’s comfort, then she might be more open to a certain black cat.

* * *

Marinette was surprised when she heard the unmistakable thump of boots on her roof not long after the sun went down.  While Chat Noir stopped by to see her on occasion, she hadn’t seen much of him (in her civilian form) in a while- something she attributed to his busy life outside the costume.  And to be honest, she didn’t really feel like entertaining the overgrown feline.

As she emerged from her trapdoor, though, she was surprised for an entirely different reason.

Because Chat _Noir_ was no longer _noir_.

He was white.

“ _Shit_ ,” she cursed under her breath.   _Just what I need right now._  “Chat Noir,” she greeted warily, “what’s going on?”

A cheery grin split the masked boy’s face.  “Good evening, _purr_ -incess.  I would have been here sooner, but I was concerned people might see me on your balcony, so I waited for the sun to set.”  He looked so pleased with himself, it was _almost_ adorable.  “I heard you had a rough day, so I came to offer my services.”

Marinette’s eyes grew wide.

“I... that’s nice of you, Chat, but... _why are you white?_ ”

Chat grunted, his grin falling.  “I’m sorry, princess, I was a bit upset over your apparent distress, and it seems Hawkmoth found me.  I’m supposed to be _Chevalier Blanc_ now, but don’t worry- I’m not here to hurt you.  Quite the opposite, actually.” And his smile was back in place.

Marinette was overcome with horror.

“Chat, shouldn’t you find Ladybug so she can de-akumatize you?!”

“I don’t know if I can be trusted around her, to be honest, princess.  I could never harm you- it is my goal to make you feel better, after all- but I don’t know how much control Hawkmoth has over my actions, so I would really rather avoid Ladybug until I can get myself out of this.”

Chat’s- ahem, _Chevalier Blanc’s_ face was overtaken by the purple outline of a butterfly, and he grimaced, clutching the sides of his head in obvious pain.

“Hawkmoth isn’t very happy with my procrastination, it seems.”

Tears pricked Marinette’s eyes, guilt eating away at her.  It wasn’t enough that she was responsible for Chat’s akumatization as Marinette, but now she was also causing him pain as Ladybug because he was afraid of being unable to stop himself from fighting her?  She had a choice word or two for Hawkmoth whenever they met face to face.

Raising a hand, she caressed her dear partner’s face, internally torn as she realized the full depth of her feelings for him.  She couldn’t identify where they came from, and couldn’t recall having them before today, but it was like they had been building up for ages, and she couldn’t fight them- didn’t even want to.

He was her kitty, and he was in trouble, and come hell or high water, she was going to save him.

“What can I do, Chat?”

Her white knight began to frown, gaze dropping down between them and grabbing her hands.  In the dim moonlight, she could see tears sliding down his cheeks.

“You shouldn’t call me that, princess.  I’m not your Chat right now. It’s an insult to him, and an insult to you.”

Marinette grabbed his chin in her fingers, lifting it up so she could look in his eyes.

His beautiful, chartreuse eyes.

“You will always be my Chat,” she said firmly.  “Now, tell me what I can do.”

Chevalier Blanc searched her eyes with his, looking for something or recognizing something- she couldn’t tell which, but there was a question in them she wasn’t sure she should answer.

“Let me help you,” he finally responded.  “I need to make you feel better- I need to _know_ you feel better.  Then my purpose is complete.”

There was something familiar about his reason for being here, about the way he said those words, even about the way he looked at her.

“You already have, Chaton.”  Marinette paused, losing some of her confidence and looking at the ground.  “I had a really bad day today. I had a migraine, and then my own personal bully set out to trip me and embarrass me in front of everyone.”  She let out a humorless chuckle. “She announced my feelings to the person I’ve been in love with for 4 years, and that’s not even the worst of it.”  Her head came up to face Chevalier Blanc, eyes brimming with tears. “The worst of it was, he was waiting for me to tell him, looking at me with those kind, beautiful eyes- with... with _your_ eyes.  Chat’s eyes.”  She gulped. “And even more, I’m not sure when, but I think that, even though I love him, that I also love... _you_ .  And just you being here- you got akumatized because you _care_ about me, Chat, and I just- I couldn’t ask for a better friend.  You’re always my white knight, Chat. You don’t need this silly suit for that.  You just need to be _you_.”

Chevalier’s pupils nearly eclipsed his irises as he looked at the incredible girl in front of him.

Deep inside, the part of of him that was still _Chat_ , that was still _Adrien_ , realized _just how much_ he was in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Those feelings bubbled up in Chevalier’s chest.  He drew a step or two closer to his princess until there was very little space between them.  

“I’ve always loved Ladybug,” he began at last, ending the silence hovering over them.  “But I think I also love you. Maybe I always have. Everything Ladybug is, you are, too, and _more_.”

Marinette’s breath hitched nervously when she realized he was leaning toward her, but her eyes fluttered shut nonetheless.  The sensation started as a tingle when their lips met, but a tiny spark quickly grew into a roaring flame. What started out at as a soft, chaste kiss, escalated into frenzied movements, their mouths parting simultaneously in insatiable desire to taste each other fully.  When they both broke away, it was only for fractions of a second, enough time to take another breath before losing themselves in each other again.

In the back of her mind, Marinette wondered if it was wrong to kiss Chevalier, who was Chat but wasn’t Chat, but she decided to let him be the one to decide if it was what he wanted or not.

The feeling was too good to give up, but then it wasn’t enough.  Marinette grasped frantically at any part of his suit that would allow her to take hold, body pressed tightly up against his, no room for air or light between them.  Then he was pressing her forward, and she was backing into the wall. When she felt hands sliding down from her hips to her lower thighs, she instinctively hopped up into his hold, wrapping her legs around his waist and latching them behind his back at the ankles.  Her arms were around his neck for added support, but the wall bore the brunt of her weight, so she pushed her hands higher, running fingers through his hair and tugging at random.

His responding noises were only encouraging, and she grabbed a solid handful, pulling back and separating his face from her own.  His lips were bruised red- almost purple, and his face was deeply flushed, eyes glazed over and dilated. She could only imagine she looked the same.

Breathlessly, she said, “ _Chaton_ ,” before he dove back in with nearly twice the fervor.  Soon after, he moved from her mouth to her jaw, and she lifted her chin as much as she could to give him better access.

In between alternations of kissing, nibbling, and sucking on her neck and shoulders, Chevalier managed to get out, “ _It’s_ ... _in_ ... _my pocket_.”

Confused and very distracted, Marinette gasped, “ _What_ ... _is?_ ”

“ _Your... lucky... charm....  The... akuma... my... lady._ ”

Marinette’s eyes blew open, and she came down instantly from her place somewhere orbiting the earth.  She pulled his head back to look at him again for a second before crashing their lips together again, but this time, while one hand maintained a strong grip on Chevalier’s hair, the other ghosted down his abdomen and fiddled with the zipper to his pocket.

A hand came up to grab her wrist, and she pulled away, looking at his eyes searchingly.

“I can’t help it,” he said.  “Hawkmoth is trying to protect his akuma.”

“Then focus on me,” she said, guiding his hand to the curve of her backside and palming his chest appreciatively as she resumed kissing him.  The throatier she moaned, she found, the more distracted he became, and she was quickly able to retrieve the lucky charm from his pocket, after which he dropped her legs to the ground and drew back a few paces.  “I love you, Chaton,” she said, pulling the purple-hued charm apart and freeing the akuma. Immediately, Chevalier dropped to his knees, and she called, “Tikki, spots on!”

The purple that bubbled up over his suit coincided with the flash of pink light that overtook her, leaving Ladybug in her place.  The scarlet superhero wasted no time before launching her yo-yo out to catch the purple insect, trapping it in her compact and releasing it again, white and pure.

Looking down at Chat, now all-black once again, she could see he was disoriented.  As he looked up at her, his eyes grew wide, but the rest of him, from his hair to his lips, still looked ravished.

“ _My lady_ ,” he breathed, awed and probably overwhelmed.

“Oh, Chaton,” she answered, kneeling down to meet him on the ground.  “When will you realize that I love you in every form, no matter which name either of us goes by.”  And she held up the repaired charm in her hand, holding it out to him just as she had done 4 years before.

He took it, and as he watched her, she let her transformation fall.  Once the spots in his vision faded, Chat Noir found himself looking into the eyes of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Then he remembered everything that happened as Chevalier Blanc- his feelings of frustration and desperation, the sensation of the akuma taking over him, the way Marinette confessed her love for both sides of him, and he in return.  His cheeks blushed crimson when he remembered how he held her against the wall.

But none of it compared to knowing, not only did his lady love him, truly love him, but loving her _saved him_.

And then Chat did something he never thought his lady would let him do.  He detransformed right in front of her.

Her look of absolute contentment was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.  He watched her as she stood and walked a few feet away, then turned and held out a hand to him.  There was something very familiar about the whole moment, her posture, the curve of her back and her smile as she stood, partly turned toward him in the moonlight, reaching out to him, but he didn’t hesitate to reach out and grab her hand.  She smiled as he rose to his feet, and led him down through the trapdoor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're on the way to a better future! This timeline is carrying us into the end, but it still has several chapters left, and I'm not done yet.
> 
> I'm still toying with giving Chloe a redemption, but that's up in the air at this point. I'm leaning strongly toward it, at least, to give her a role that isn't pure plot-furtherment and typical high school mean girl.
> 
> This is fair warning, the next chapter is basically all explicit, so if that's not your jam, then I'm giving you notice ahead of time so you can skip it.
> 
> Questions, thoughts, suggestions on this chapter/previous chapters/the storyline in general/ future chapters? Thank you all for your continued support.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrinette smut. That is all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the explicit chapter I warned about at the end of the last chapter. If that's not your thing, feel free to skip the whole thing- it's why I kept it contained as its own chapter. Anyway, if that's you're thing, I hope it's well-written enough. It's not terribly graphic and only involves intercourse (no oral, anal, BDSM, or anything). So yea. That's my smut warning/disclaimer.

**Day 77 part 2 (explicit)** :

Adrien couldn’t stop asking himself if this was all a dream.  He followed Marinette soundlessly into her room, unable to see much of anything in the darkness of the night.  Marinette came to a stop, sitting down on her bed and patting the mattress next to her in a wordless request.

He complied, lowering himself to the mattress by crouching down first to his knees, then pushing them out in front of him, slightly nervous, and afraid to hope.  Marinette watched him patiently, waiting as he eventually stopped fidgeting, before reaching out and brushing some of the hair out of his eyes.

Even in the dark, she could see the widening of his pupils, the way his lips parted, how his chest expanded in a deep breath.  If it were any quieter in the room, she may have even heard his heart racing, pounding as it was.

Having adjusted to the darkness, Adrien could detect the smirk covering his lady love’s face.

“What are you waiting for, Chaton?  Kiss me.”

Adrien needed no other prompting.  Taking only a second to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating, he surged forward to meet her mouth with his, overcome by the absolute euphoria of what it felt like to kiss her.

Somehow, it was even better than when he was Chevalier- maybe because he was more himself now, less of a presence in the back of someone else’s mind.  Either way, he wasn’t going to miss any of it. He focused as much as he could on memorizing every sensation, from the texture and flavor of her lips and tongue, to the various noises that came out of her throat, how they differed, and how he brought them about to begin with.

For a second he worried if he was too eager, but Marinette met his enthusiasm with equal fervor.  Her hands roamed his body, and when she tugged at his hair, he couldn’t hold back the deep, sensual groan that bubbled out of him.  She did it again, smiling at his response.

Even though he was enjoying the feel of her hips under his hands, his fingers were practically itching with a need to touch her skin, and he found himself unknowingly fiddling with the hem of her shirt.  She pulled away for a second, smiling at his expression before crossing her arms over her abdomen and pulling the garment over her head.

If Adrien were in the suit, he was sure he would be purring, because the sight of Marinette in a black bra was instantly his favorite ever.  Unaware he was ogling, his head shot back up to Marinette’s face when he heard her faint giggle, but before he could say anything, she was kissing him again, grabbing his wrists with her hands and placing them on her bare sides.

Adrien didn’t resist.  In fact, he was fully appreciative, running them all over her now exposed torso, obsessed with the feel of her skin under his palms, his fingertips.  He barely acquiesced to letting go when she pulled insistently on the flaps of his overshirt, only drawing his hands away from her long enough to tug it away from his shoulders and over his wrists, and then to practically rip off the t-shirt he was wearing underneath.

Ok, so maybe he had a new favorite sensation- the skin of Marinette’s body against his own.  He had a feeling that would be replaced very soon by a new favorite, though.

Then Marinette was straddling him, and  _ holy fuck _ , it was amazing, but he was nearly falling backward against the sheer force of her, so he reached behind him and scooted back, managing not to break their kiss as she followed him relentlessly, crawling on her hands and knees.

With his back against the wall-  _ This is a nice turn of events _ , he mused- they resumed exploring each other, Adrien’s mouth nibbling and sucking on nearly every patch of skin within reach (which was the entirety of her chest, shoulders, and neck), and Marinette cradling his head in her hand as she tipped her head back in ecstasy.

His hands were roaming over her bare back, but kept snagging on the strap of her bra.  And it was a gorgeous, lacy black bra, but Adrien was starting to think it would look better on the floor.  Lips attached to her collarbone, he snapped the strap against her back, message clear. She let go of him momentarily to pull back, causing him to look at her in question.  Her smirk was back, however, and he knew he was in trouble.

At a tantalizing, leisurely speed, Marinette’s fingers floated toward her sternum, reaching for the small adjoining section between the cups of her bra.  As he watched, mesmerized, Marinette slowly pinched the two halves together, and, hearing a click, he saw them separate. In her two hands, Marinette pulled the halves of her bra away from her body, exposing her breasts to the open air.

They were soft-looking and milky white except for two rosy peaks, and Adrien’s brain broke.

The shoulder straps slid down Marinette’s arms, and she dropped them on the bed behind her, watching and waiting as Adrien stared at her.  But he was taking too long to respond. She grabbed both sides of his face, lifting it up and kissing him on the lips. As he gradually responded more and more, she pulled his hands up and placed them on her breasts, encouraging him to touch her- to know that she was entirely his.

Adrien kneaded them firmly, brushing his thumbs over her nipples in a way that made her gasp.  It was his turn to smirk, now, having found a button he didn’t know was there. His kisses gained intensity once more, and he transitioned back to her neck and shoulders, slowly kissing his way down her chest until he reached uncharted territory.

He kissed the swell first, but as her fingers tightened in his hair, he took the peak of her left breast in his mouth, sucking it gingerly, flicking it lightly with the tip of his tongue.

Marinette moaned in a tone of voice he hadn’t heard from her yet, and it only increased his appetite.  He sucked more aggressively, using the hand on her right breast to pinch her other nipple, causing her to cry out in rapture.  He didn’t linger too long, however, and switched sides, sucking and licking her right peak while massaging and pinching the one on the left.

Her hips began to undulate in his lap, and the pitch and volume of Marinette’s cries were increasing.  Afraid of waking her parents, Adrien took her mouth in a muffling kiss, rising up on his knees and lifting her with him, bringing them down on the bed with Marinette on her back and himself above her, nestled between her legs.

It was him who was beginning to roll his pelvis against hers now, and they fell into a rhythm that made his entire body light aflame.  Even through his jeans and hers, he could feel the heat radiating from her core, and it only made his desire stronger.

He parted from her lips, overwhelmed by how both satisfying and insufficient it felt to rock against her like that.  Her back arched off the bed as he kissed his way down her front, taking his time on her stomach, until he reached the waistband of her pants.  In curiosity, he lightly bit her hip bone, and was mildly amused but entirely aroused to find her reflexively raise her lower body into the air as she let out a cry.

Intrigued, he licked and sucked her hip, immensely pleased as she appeared to lose control, and he had to hold her steady as he continued to lavish attention on the spot.  She whimpered as he tugged her waistband lower for better access, her sounds like a drug to him.

After showing the same attention to her other side, Adrien looked up to Marinette’s face for permission, then unbuttoned the pants and pulled them slowly down her legs.  As they reached her ankles, she became impatient and practically kicked them away, causing Adrien to chuckle as he stood and removed his own.

Coming to rest on his hands on knees on the mattress, Adrien slowly crawled his way up the bed and above Marinette.  The erotic picture left her in a mess, and she breathed heavily, anticipating the feeling of Adrien’s entire body against her.  He stopped, however, before he was face to face with her, and a mischievous expression took over. Without breaking eye contact, he lowered his head, mouth dangerously close to her core, then nipped at her inner thigh.

“Ahh!” Marinette cried out automatically, then bit down on the bend of her finger as Adrien began nipping and kissing the insides of her thighs.  It an inexplicable feeling- as though she was losing control, but she wanted more. The sensation of his lips moving up her body again led her to look back down, and she saw him rising up to capture her mouth in another languid, tender kiss.

There were only two thin layers of fabric between them now, and that was too many.  Mouth to mouth, chest to chest, Marinette reached down and began pushing at Adrien’s boxer briefs, causing him to pull back suddenly.

Breathlessly he said, “I don’t have protection.”

Marinette tried not to, but she laughed, covering her face with a hand to hide her giggles.  As she peeked out of her fingers, Adrien watched her with an arched brow, hoping to be let in on the joke.

“Nightstand.  Upper drawer.” 

His brow furrowed in question.

“Alya’s gag gifts,” she offered, causing his expression to relax into an amused smile.

“I’ll have to thank her later,” he said, voice deep and raspy.

Marinette’s face flared.  “Y-yea. I guess s-so.”

Adrien wasted no time taking a condom out of the drawer and setting it beside them on the bed.  Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck and he kissed her deeply, undulating against her core in a way that was too much and not enough.  She reached down for his boxers again, and he allowed her to pull them down before he kicked them away, then released her lips and backed away down toward her waist, fingering the band of her panties.  Marinette lifted her hips, allowing him to slide them down her legs and feet.

She sat up as he reached for the condom, reaching inquisitively to touch him.  He shuddered as she wrapped her hand around him, pinching his eyes shut and bowing his head at the sensation.  She watched him, enraptured, as he bit his lip and rocked himself in her grip, prompting her to slide her hand up and down the shaft, pumping it slowly.  It was surprisingly hot and hard, and she was both eager and nervous to know what it would feel like to have it inside her.

She loosened her grip, letting go as he looked up at her, complexion flushed and a slight sheen to his forehead.  Slightly panting, he opened the foil packet in his hand and rolled the condom carefully over his erection. Marinette watched, brimming with curiosity and anticipation.  When it was completely secure, she looked back up, and he leaned down, bringing a hand behind her back as he captured her lips and lowered her to the bed.

She could feel the latex-covered tip lightly bumping against the inside of her leg, sometimes reaching high enough to brush against her core.  It made her gasp and raise her hips involuntarily to meet him.

Adrien looked at her intensely, eyes glowing in the moonlight, causing her breath to catch in her throat.  He was so beautiful.

As he watched her eyes widen in desire, Adrien thought he’d never seen anything more gorgeous in his life.  The blue sheen of her hair reflected the light from the window, and her eyes took on a radioactive luminescence as though they were the stars themselves.

“Are you ready?” he asked, unable to wait any longer.  She nodded in affirmation.

Slowly, but without hesitation, Adrien push himself inside of her, studying her face as her beautiful blue orbs rolled back in their sockets, and her head tilted back, jaw dropping in a quiet groan.

It was addicting, incredible, the feeling she gave him.  As he entered her, it was like he could feel every cell in his body, every muscle, tense and needing  _ something _ .

And then she said, “Ok.  Move,” and he moved, drawing back out again and slamming back in, and the whole world  _ shifted on its axis _ .  He was overcome with warm, and softness, and it was like he wasn’t even in his body, but somewhere lost within hers, and it was bliss.

Was this Heaven?  Did his soul leave his body and find its way up to the stars?  If so, he didn’t ever want to come back down.

He did it again, slightly faster this time, drawing out, and then swiftly sliding back in.  Every time felt like Nirvana, like his whole life was leading up to this state of perfect happiness, like all the frustration and pain he experienced until now was just way of bringing him to this moment, of making something already magical even more miraculous.  As they found a rhythm, he became fully absorbed in them as one. His panting breaths, his racing heart, his pulsing groin, there were all joined with hers.

Marinette circled and raised her hips, completely without bodily control as Adrien pounded into her.  The force, the pressure, it was devastatingly mind-blowing. She couldn’t form a coherent thought, much less string together an intelligible sentence if she tried.

Adrien raised up on his knees, resting her ankles on his shoulders as he rammed into her.  Trying to be quiet, Marinette clenched her teeth on the back of her hand, overcome by the pleasure of his penetration.

There was a tension building up inside that she was vaguely familiar with.  It wasn’t that she had never brought herself to climax before, but the feeling was slightly different.  With the persistent stimulation of  _ that spot _ inside her, it was much more intense than anything she had ever achieved on her own before.

Adrien’s pace continued to increase, and he began to move in an almost erratic way, eyes drifting closed in need.  Marinette’s hands fisted in the sheets with a deathlike grip, her body responding to the change by drawing closer and closer to that invisible internal snap.

“ _ Ahh, Adrien, please! _ ”

The man above her seemed to lose all rational thought as he began hammering into her too rapidly for her to keep up.  She was  _ so close _ , it was as though she could see the coil tightening, ready to burst.

Then it snapped, and her whole body surged with a rush of heat and sensitivity.  She felt nearly every muscle in her body contract, clenching and then finally releasing in euphoria.

Adrien continued his movement as she rode out the waves of her climax, his brow furrowing deeply, eyes closed, as his jaw fell open.

“ _ Ooooh, Mari- Marinette- oh my God.... _ ”  Then he grunted, still moving his hips but not as forcefully, panting as he slowed to a stop over the span of several seconds.

Trying to catch his breath, he leaned down, kissing Marinette’s sweaty forehead before resting his own against it.

Marinette smiled, not resisting as he rolled to lay next to her and gathered her in an embrace.

“ _ I love you, my Marinette _ ,” he whispered.

Still smiling, she responded, “I love you too, kitty.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit! 50,000 words! I honestly had no idea when I started this story it would even make it this far!
> 
> Questions, thoughts, suggestions?
> 
> Next chapter: Adrien and Marinette talking about dreams. It'll make sense when you read it.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's The Morning After™ and Marinette and Adrien begin recognizing there may be more to this day than there seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, y'all, 200 kudos! I'm beyond honored for all the positive comments, constructive suggestions, and support this story has garnered. I'll keep trying to make it the best I can!

**Day 78 part 1** :

Adrien’s eyes flew open as he shot up in the bed, chest heaving.  Marinette startled by his side, well on the way to being woken up by the sudden jolt.  It took him a moment to slow his breathing and recognize his surroundings, to remember why he was here and what had happened.  Slowly the memories returned, and he shifted his head to look down at Marinette, whose eyelids were beginning to part drowsily.  She had been sleeping on her stomach, but the disturbance prompted her to roll slightly on her back, arm draped over her ribs, halfway in between conscious and unconscious.  

Adrien didn’t even try to stop himself from taking in the sight of her: blue-raven hair haloed on the pillow around her head, bluebell eyes hiding underneath long, fluttering lashes, pink lips pursed with sleep, exposed chest fully within view.  He smirked down at her, who was waking up more by the second, and she suddenly appeared to realize her lack of clothing, letting out an embarrassed “meep!” and pulling the sheets up over her face.

It was so adorable, he didn’t even try to fight the deep chuckle that escaped his throat, leaning over her and tugging the covers sharply away from her face.  She was beautiful all the time, but in the light of the morning sun, she was ethereal. In place of the sheets, her hands came up to mask her face.

“I don’t know what you’re covering up,” Adrien murmured sensuously.  “If it were up to me, I’d wake up to this every morning.” And he tugged at the covers again, dislodging them further from their position covering her upper body.  

Marinette’s hands came flying down to cover her exposed breasts as she shrieked in surprise.  Adrien frowned playfully at her.

“Now, now, Marinette.”  One of his hands came up to grab a wrist, slowly prying one of her arms away from her torso.  “Let’s not do anything drastic.” Then the other arm was pulled away. He looked down at his handiwork, smugly satisfied as he lightly held both her wrists over her head, flush on her face spreading down her chest.

Letting go of one wrist to run a hand down the side of her body, he sighed in pleasure as she trembled under his touch, and leaned down to place feathlight kisses on her neck, working his way down the front of her body.

“Mmm,” Marinette hummed, and he didn’t have to look at her to know her eyes were closed in bliss.

“You taste so good,” he mumbled against her skin.

Marinette made another noise in response, sending the heat straight to his groin.  From his position near her belly button, he could smell the arousal on her, and he growled.

“Mmm, Mari, my lady, the way you look, the way you taste- I’ll never forget this.”  But then it was like a cold bucket of water was thrown over him because those words sounded _so familiar_.  They took him back to the nightmare than had woken him up so sharply just minutes ago, and he lurched upward as though waiting for something to happen.

Marinette looked up at him, startled and confused.

“Did I do something wrong, Adrien?”

Just then, a voice called up from below.

“Marinette!  It’s time to get up for school!  You’re going to be late!”

“SHIT!”  That was all it took for the naked girl to practically launch out of bed, almost knocking Adrien in the head on her way up, school and real life having momentarily slipped both of their minds.

“ _Shit, Adrien, I’m sorry_ ,” she whispered.  But he didn’t respond, just kept staring into space with a look of horror on his face.

“ _Adrien?_ ” she tried again.  She was about to shake his shoulder, but abruptly he turned to her, expression indescribably anxious.

“Marinette,” he spoke in a low voice as the girl walked around her room looking for clean clothes to wear.  “Do you ever feel like you’re living a day you’ve lived before?”

“You mean like deja vu?” she asked, pulling on a pair of fresh underwear and searching for the matching bra.

“No, I mean, yes, sort of like deja vu, but more like, you have memories of days you’ve lived, but you don’t remember actually living them.”

Marinette stilled with one leg halfway in a pair of pants.  She couldn’t explain it, but her heart started racing. Her gaze shifted up instantaneously to where she knew Tikki would be, and the little kwami looked back at her, eyes wide and afraid.

She turned her head then to look at Adrien, who was watching her expectantly, expression grave and uneasy.

“Yes,” she finally said, “I think I do.”  Adrien’s hands came up to rub his face, distress clearly written all over it.

“Fuck, I have to get home before anyone realizes I’m gone.”  He found his phone somewhere on the floor and tapped the screen.  “ _Shit_ , if Nathalie hasn’t come into my room yet, I’ll consider myself officially lucky.”  With a roguish look, he glanced back up at Marinette, who was almost fully dressed. “Not that I didn’t get lucky last night.”

Her hands settled on her hips, a no-nonsense look on her face.

“And if you don’t watch it, alley cat, it’ll be the last time.”

Adrien smirked in response, and Marinette couldn’t keep help the fond expression that overtook her stern one.

“Does your kwami need to eat something first?”

“Nah, he probably ate the cheese in my pocket while we were sleeping.”

Giving her a chaste kiss on the lips, he rapidly pulled on his clothes, calling out for his transformation and scurrying up to the trapdoor.  Just as he was about to step up to the balcony, he turned.

“I love you, princess.”

Marinette’s stern expression softened.  “I love you, too, kitty.”

And then he was gone.

* * *

Adrien flew over the rooftops, rabidly desperate to make it home before someone got suspicious and barged into his room.  Normally he was up over an hour ago, but it wasn’t unheard of for him to sleep in on a day when he didn’t have a shoot of some sort.  He only prayed Nathalie was too busy to notice his lack of movement.

Adrien flew through an open window, dropping his transformation and landing on his bed just as Nathalie walked into the room.

Her expression was wildly shocked.

“Adrien, where have you been?!”

He dug deep for every bit of acting direction he had ever been given in his modelling experience, mustering up the most confused, nonchalant expression he could.  “What do you mean?”

Nathalie’s look could only be described as deadpan.

“Adrien you never came home last night.  You disappeared from school, missed your afternoon lessons, the chef never got an order for dinner, and you weren’t here when I came to check on you fifteen minutes ago.”

 _Oh, shit_.

“Ummm..." Adrien stalled, clearing his throat.  “I may have gone to dinner with a friend, gotten a little drunk last night and misplaced my phone.  I didn’t want father to know, so I thought I could sneak back in before school and... leave again before anyone noticed.”

Nathalie looked at him doubtfully.  “And just how did you get in your room without anyone seeing you?”

 _Oh, well, shit_.

“Ummmm... I, uh... parkour?”

It was clear she didn’t believe him, but she looked down at her tablet anyway (and he thought he detected a subtle eye roll), reading off his schedule for him.  He thanked her, and after she left, made his way into the restroom for a quick shower. It was only 5 minutes, but the whole time he was thinking about that dream he had- the one that felt like a memory.  He remembered fighting Hawkmoth in some abandoned building, he remembered Ladybug dying on the floor beside him, and he remembered Hawkmoth telling him neither of them would remember what happened.

So why could he remember?  Did that mean it actually happened, or was it just his mind playing tricks on him?

The trouble was, like a dream, the details were fuzzy, and the more he tried to remember them, the more difficult it became.  

Dressing quickly and resolving to meet Marinette to talk about everything- after all, she said she felt it, too- he walked out into the hall and ran straight into his father.

The older man looked less composed than normal, slightly disheveled with bags under his eyes as though he didn’t sleep well.

“What’s this I hear about you not coming home last night?”

Well, at least he got straight to the point.

“Uh, f-father...."

“Stop stuttering, son, it isn’t becoming.”

“I’m sorry, f-father.”  He cleared his throat again.  “I made some poor choices and got drunk from too much wine at dinner.  I didn’t want to disappoint you, so I hoped that I could sleep it off somewhere else and sneak back home in the morning.  I overslept.”

Adrien noticed his father’s gaze flicker down to his ring finger for a split second and back up, almost too quickly to be seen.

“Just how stupid do you think I am, son?”

It was like thunder struck him, hearing those words.  They were _so familiar_.

“You will come straight home from school today, and you are forbidden from speaking to your friends until I see fit.  Your lessons will be doubled, and I’ll have Nathalie schedule you more photoshoots to fill your free time, is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Adrien managed, barely breathing.

Gabriel only nodded and walked away.

There was something digging at Adrien’s brain, practically physically hurting him with its painful familiarity.  It was that sense of deja vu taking over him again, and Adrien mulled it over as he gathered his materials and settled into the backseat of his ride to school.

He was almost in front of the building when it hit him like a lightning bolt.

Those words- Hawkmoth’s words- everything came crashing back to him.

 _Hawkmoth was his father_.

* * *

Marinette dressed as quickly as she could, giddy and nervous with all the developments of the last 24 hours.  There was the thing with Adrien- _Chat_ \- the morning before, which, now she realized was her subconscious putting them together, but how did she know in the first place?  It was like memories she shouldn’t have were being superimposed on the present, and things she wasn’t supposed to know were overlapping with reality.  Just thinking about it was bringing her headache back, so she tried to move on. After that, there was the incident with Chloe, and then she went home.  Chat Noir- _Chevalier Blanc_ showed up on her balcony in the evening, and then they kissed, and he figured out who she was, helped her de-akumatize him.  Then he was Adrien, and then....

Then the night before.  And that morning. And that weird question Adrien asked her about remembering things that didn’t happen.  It was such an odd thing to ask, she couldn’t explain how it struck her so deeply. But it did, and she knew without a doubt that it was true.  She felt like she was living in a dreamworld, as though every moment really was happening, but once she woke up the next morning, it would all have been a dream.  She was about to head down the stairs to grab breakfast and walk to school, but she heard her phone beep with a notification. It was Adrien.

 _Meet me at the usual place, LB_.

...

Marinette’s pulse increased.   _Holy shit, what’s going on?_

* * *

As soon as the car left Adrien at school, he found a safe alley to transform and headed off toward Chat Noir and Ladybug’s usual meeting spot.  It was a secluded rooftop, pretty high and hard to see from the ground, and they always met there when there was something important to discuss.  He knew she would know exactly where he meant.

He didn’t have to wait too long.  Ladybug arrived shortly after him, and as soon as he saw her, he pulled her into a relieved hug.

Ladybug returned the embrace, somewhat astounded by its intensity, but nonetheless appreciative.

“Oh, Bugaboo, am I glad to see you.”

“What’s going on, Minou?”

Chat pulled away, hands still around her shoulders, and looked at her for a moment before leaning in to kiss her.

“God, it feels so good to be able to do that,” he said, drawing back.

Ladybug breathed out amusedly.  “It hasn’t been that long since I’ve seen you.  Chat, what’s so important we had to meet _here_ when we’re supposed to be _in_ _class_?”

Chat appeared hesitant and thoughtful, unsure of what to say, and it made Ladybug nervous.

“Is this about that thing you asked me earlier?” she ventured.  Chat nodded minimally in confirmation.

“I think we should talk.  But first, tell me what you mean when you say you think you have memories of days you don’t remember living?”

Ladybug paused, trying to figure out how to explain something she didn’t understand herself.

“I just... it’s like I have this feeling that there are parts of my life that are missing- like I get this sensation of deja vu, where I know I’m reliving a moment, but, like, multiple times.  It might sound really confusing, but I’ve only been getting this feeling _since yesterday_ and it still feels like I’ve been getting it for _months_.”

Chat looked thunderstruck- it was exactly the same way he felt.  He swallowed hard. “Then I have to tell you. I had a nightmare last night, but it wasn’t a normal nightmare.  It felt so real, more like a memory than some scenario cooked up in a REM cycle. And it’s like it’s not the only one- it’s like I have all these memories that I just _can’t recall_ , and it almost _hurts_ trying to remember them.”   
  
He watched his partner’s face, trying to read her expression.

“When I had a migraine yesterday morning, it was because I was seeing you as Chat Noir.”

Chat couldn’t look more surprised.

“It was just weird flashes at first,” Ladybug continued.  “When you walked in, there was this shadow on your face, and it was like your mask, and that set off a pain in my head.”

“Oh my God, I remember that.  You almost keeled over.” Ladybug grimaced.

“It really wasn’t that painful at first, more like dizzying, but then I looked at you, and I almost called you Chat, and it was like I had an ice pick being rammed through my skull.”

She chuckled a little at Chat’s expression, jaw hanging open.

“Oh my God, Ladybug, what if there’s a whole set of memories that we’re being prevented from accessing, and we’re living the same days over and over again, but they’re always different?”

His partner inhaled sharply.  It sounded insane- it sounded like science fiction, but there was this voice in the back of her head that was telling her not to discount it just because it sounded crazy.

“Tikki’s been acting weird, too,” she added.  “Like she’s avoiding me. Like she’s sad and scared and she doesn’t know what to do or say.”

Chat took all this in silently, letting her speak.

“You know, yesterday morning, er, the night before, I had planned to c-confess my f-feelings for you-”  
  
“Aww, Bugaboo, don’t go back to stuttering on me now~”

“-oh, hush, you stupid cat.  I had planned to confess my feelings for you,” she went on, giving him an exaggerated look, and he laughed.  “But when I woke up, it was like, I knew that it wasn’t a good idea, like it wasn’t going to end well.”

As she watched, her partner’s laughter ceased, and his brows furrowed.

“It was weird, because the night before I was so amped and so ready, but then it was a total 180, and Tikki is always super supportive, but when I changed my mind, she didn’t even bat an eye- in fact, she didn’t really say anything at all.  She was almost completely silent _the whole morning_ , and if you think I talk a lot, you haven’t seen anything yet.  Oh, and-” she said as though she just remembered, “-and, it was even stranger because I remember feeling like the night before felt so long ago- like when I wanted to tell you how I felt, it was actually a long time ago.”

“I-” Chat began hesitantly.  “Goddamnit, Ladybug, I love you, both sides of you, so please don’t take this the wrong way.”

She nodded in affirmation.

“It’s just-  if you confessed to me _two days ago_ \- _before_ yesterday, I’m 100 percent sure I would have rejected you.”  His face was drawn into an apologetic grimace. Ladybug half-smiled sympathetically, knowing exactly what he meant.  “It’s just, it’s like so much changed overnight, and while I’m sure now that I’ve loved you for years without even knowing it, before yesterday, I wouldn’t have been able to say that.  I was too focused on this side of you to consider the other side romantically. Oh God, and that’s not even the worst part.”

There was a foreboding tone in his voice that made the hairs on Ladybug’s neck stand on end.

“So, if it’s true we’re having dreams of days we lived but don’t remember, then we have a problem.  I think the reason we can’t remember them is because we’ve already faced Hawkmoth- and lost.”

Ladybug inhaled deeply, wanting to deny the theory, but finding herself incapable.

“I think I’ve had dreams like that,” she confirmed.  “I mean, I couldn’t have had many because, like you said, it’s only _since yesterday_ , but it feels like it’s been a lot longer than that.”

Chat chewed on his lip anxiously before taking a steadying breath.  “When I woke up this morning, something felt off, but I couldn’t remember what it was, and then... and then I said something.  I said, ‘I’ll never forget this,’ and it just hit me like a truck- like I could remember saying that before. But the details of the dream weren’t coming back to me.  Until I got home.” Chat chuckled humorlessly, “Ha, funny story, so I got home, and it turns out Nathalie _did_ notice I didn’t go home last night, so I fed her this ridiculous, unbelievable story because I couldn’t tell her the real reason.  But then, my father came to see me, and he said, ‘Just how stupid do you think I am?’ And, I swear to God, I nearly passed out because, Ladybug, I remember those _exact words_ from my dream, too, but they didn’t come from my father- well, they did, but- they came from Hawkmoth.  In my dream, memory, whatever, my father was Hawkmoth, and he killed us.”

There was a long silence as the two of them took it in.  Chat, because he hadn’t said it out loud yet, and Ladybug, because of exactly what it meant.

“Do you think he knows who we are- after last night?  You called me my lady, when you were Chevalier Blanc, you told me where your akuma was.”

Chat Noir pondered in silence before responding.

“I- I don’t know.”

“Well, what do we do?  We can’t just barge in to your mansion and accuse your father, no matter how sure we are, but we can’t wait for another akuma to show up because, if he knows who we are, then he may have a bigger plan than the usual ‘destroy as much of the city as possible until Ladybug and Chat Noir show up.’”

“I think... I think we should do a little investigating.”  Then Chat’s eyes started waggling (sort of, as much as they could under the mask).  “Hey, bugaboo, wanna see my room?”

* * *

“Are you sure we’re not setting off some sort of alarm system or getting caught on camera or something?” Ladybug whispered as they landed on the floor of Adrien’s bedroom.

“My lady, I’ve been doing this for years- I think if it was going to happen, my father would have picked up on this whole thing sooner, don’t you?”

Ladybug begrudgingly conceded his point, walking as silently as she could around his room.  She hadn’t been there that many times, and it always amazed her just how _big_ and full of _stuff_ it was.

She smirked at the mini fridge, opening it to find it stock full of Camembert.

“Unhealthy obsession, Chaton?”

Chat looked over, face unamused.

“You can blame Plagg for that.  And are you really one to talk, princess?  Didn’t you used to have my face all over your walls?”

Ladybug blushed.

“Shut up.”

Chat looked much too pleased with himself.

“So what’s the plan, then?  Go in, guns blazing? Metaphorically speaking, of course.  Tie him to a chair and force him to talk?”

The sound that came out of Chat could only be described as a snort.

“Geez, my lady, what kind of movies have you been watching?”

Resisting the urge to laugh, the spotted superhero only rolled her eyes.  “I’m serious, Chat. We need a plan.”

His demeanor sobered quickly, his face taking on a somber expression as he considered her words.

“I’m pretty sure he has cameras in a lot of hallways and rooms.  If we start tearing around, we’re bound to be caught.”

“Then we have to either find another way around, or find someone to take out the cameras.  What do you suggest?”

Chat Noir’s trademark grin overtook his features.

“I know a guy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, comments, suggestions?
> 
> Thanks for the continued support!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir catch up with Hawkmoth...again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, Ladybug and Chat Noir are, like, couple goals. I fucking love their banter. *heart eyes*

**Day 78 part 2** :

“Did he say how long it would take?” Ladybug asked from her place pacing the floor, nervously chewing on the tip of a gloved finger.

“No, but, it’s  _ Max _ , so I can’t imagine it taking that long,” her partner responded, turning to face her from the chair at his computer desk.

“What did you tell him?”

“Just that I needed to sneak into my dad’s safe and didn’t want to get caught.  He didn’t seem to care that much why.”

“Why his safe?”

“I don’t know.  It seemed like a good place to start.  I found that book there a few years ago with a bunch of miraculous superheroes pictures inside, and he got really upset when it went missing.”

“Oh my God, Chat!”  Ladybug slapped his arm in excitement, and he reached a hand up to touch his shoulder, playful look of mock pain covering his features.  

“Ouch!  My lady!” 

“Your dad’s book!” she continued, ignoring him.  “That book, I found it and took it to Master Fu!”

Chat’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

“ _ You _ stole my book?”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” she responded, scowling.  “Lila stole it and threw it in the trash, but Tikki and I saw her, and Tikki made me pick it out to take a look at it.  She said it was important, and it had been missing for a long time.”

“Then how did my dad get it back?”

Ladybug laughed nervously.  “Well, once you got pulled out of school, Master Fu took pictures of all the pages and let me return it to your dad.  I kind of had to pretend to be one of your crazy fangirls as an excuse,” she added, grimacing.

“Ohoho, my lady!   _ Pretend _ ?  A  _ fan _ , are you?”

“Live it up, Chat.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.  After all, I am  _ purr _ -fect.”

The look she gave him was deadpan.

“I guess that’s why your sense of humor is so bad.”

“ _ Meow _ -ch!”  Chat placed a hand to his chest in fake injury, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes again.

“How are we going to know when he’s done?”

“Max is a whiz at this stuff.  Give him a few minutes. He said he’ll text me when it’s done.”

Ladybug nodded apprehensively, clearly worried about the whole thing.

“He said he’d grant my computer access to the cameras, so I can pause their feeds without anyone knowing.  Then, we’ll wait for the opportune moment, and search my father’s office for evidence.”

It was a risky plan, but it was the best they could do, and waiting would gain them nothing if they were right.  They both felt it inside- something was coming, and it was going to be big.

Adrien’s phone dinged quietly with a notification, and Chat spun quickly around.

“Ok, it’s ready,” he said, and watched as the program came open on his computer.  “ _ God love you, Max _ .”

There was a grid view of multiple corridors and rooms, from the main gate and entryway, to Gabriel’s office.  Chat watched, completely focused, as various employees appeared in different frames.

“Will anyone come in here?” Ladybug asked.

“Some maids come in here to clean the whole room once a week, but that shouldn’t be for a few more days.  They were in here recently.”

She breathed a sigh of (relative) relief.

“So... now we wait?”

Chat exhaled, nodding.  “We wait.”

* * *

It was past lunch time when Gabriel finally got up from his desk.  Chat knew this, because both his and Ladybug’s stomachs had been growling not very long before.  They weren’t keen on getting caught because one of their digestive tracts decided to groan in emptiness, so they ate part of Plagg’s Camembert stash (despite the strong flavor), and Chat told himself he would replace it later.

They dropped their transformations for a while as they waited, feeding Plagg and Tikki to make sure they didn’t timeout at an inopportune moment.  Suited up again, Chat and Ladybug continued to observe the video feeds, paying attention to which hallways were most often clear, and who was where for how long.

When Gabriel finally moved, it threw them for a loop.  They expected him to take a turn about the room to stretch, as he had done a couple of times before, or leave entirely.  They didn’t expect him to insert his fingers into the painting of his missing wife and disappear down a secret platform.

_ Holy shit, does this guy have enough money? _ Ladybug wondered, astonished.

Chat and Ladybug shared a look.

“How much you want to bet an akuma appears in a few minutes?” she wondered aloud.

“Let’s get in there.”

Chat paused the video on each feed once it was clear of people, then they took a route through the least-frequented areas they had seen en route to Gabriel’s office.  There were a couple of times they had to hide around a corner when they heard people nearby, but they made it relatively quickly.

The mansion was labyrinthian in its complexity, and without Chat, Ladybug was sure she would have gotten lost long before.  When they cautiously passed through the office doors, they found an empty room, with walls covered in idealistic prints of Adrien’s modelling shoots, and the Gustav Klimt style painting of Emilie Agreste.

Behind the painting, they knew, was the safe.  Chat pulled it back and looked tensely as his partner.

“I don’t know the code.  I’ll have Plagg open it. It’s what we did last time.”

Ladybug was hesitant, but nodded.  It made sense. The cameras weren’t running anyway, so no one would see.  And it was less risky to find Adrien and Ladybug in the room than to find Marinette and Chat Noir.

The second Chat dropped his transformation, the black kwami phased through the metal door, which slowly hinged open as soon as he disappeared.

Plagg emerged from behind the heavy door as Adrien pulled it the rest of the way.  Inside the safe, there was the book they both remembered, as well as something else neither Adrien nor Plagg noticed before.

“It’s the peacock miraculous,” Plagg uttered in awe.  “But something’s wrong with it. It doesn’t feel right.”

Adrien glanced warily at Ladybug.  They shared the same trepidation.

“What happens if we touch it?” he asked to no one in particular.

“I don’t know,” Plagg answered.

“Maybe just... don’t touch it with your skin?” Ladybug offered.

Adrien took off his overshirt for a layer of protection before he reached out for the brooch, but she stopped him.

“Let me do it.  I’m at least transformed already.”

Adrien watched her for a moment, handing her his shirt but not letting go.

“I’ll do it.”  And he let go. “Plagg, claws out.”

Chat Noir took Adrien’s shirt back, ripping a scrap off and throwing the rest in the trash bin before carefully grabbing the small, almost unnoticeable object.  Once he had wrapped it in the cloth, he tucked it into his pocket and zipped it closed, exhaling shakily as he closed the safe.

“I guess it’s go time.”

Ladybug took her partner’s hand silently, coming to stand next to him, her head turned in his direction.

“Together.”

They walked closer to the painting, looking at it intently to discover the little indentations where their fingers would go.  Chat used his free right hand to reach the higher ones, and Ladybug used her left for the ones lower in the painting.

They watched in awe as the floor opened up, curved parts retracting concentrically to reveal a chasm.  As they stepped on the platform that appeared, they shared a glance, letting go of each other’s hands and standing nearly back to back to remain alert.  If Hawkmoth was down here, he would surely know they were coming by now.

As they descended slowly, they began to take in the scope of the room they were in.  It was huge, cavernous in dimension, dimly lit by spotlights high above and the natural sunlight streaming in through a butterfly shaped window.

Silhouetted against the window was a tall, slender figure- most likely a man, and from the light streaming in on the other side of him, casting him in shadow, it was difficult to see, but if Ladybug had to stake her life on it, she would bet he was wearing a silver mask and a purple suit.

He stood there, legs parted slightly as though ready to move, a slim cane in front of him, clasped by two hands.

“Well, well, well.  What do we have here?”

The voice was chilly and even.  Without context, it may have been difficult to discern its owner, but with their essentially confirmed suspicions and their familiarity with the way he sounded in civilian form, both Ladybug and Chat Noir knew exactly who was standing in front of them.

“Gabriel Agreste,” Ladybug spoke, noticing Chat was uncharacteristically silent.  She couldn’t imagine what he was feeling.

“Looks like you’ve been a bit busy, Ladybug.  You seem to know all about me. But I don’t know as much about  _ you _ .  Is that really  _ fair _ ?”  He said it in his usual cool, calculated way, but there was an underlying tone of hostility.

Ladybug wouldn’t be baited.  “This ends now, Hawkmoth. I don’t know what your goal is, but this isn’t something where the end justifies the means.  You’ve hurt a lot of people over the years, and I’ll be damned if I let you make a victim out of even one more person.”

“Give us your miraculous, Hawkmoth.”  They were the first words Chat had spoken since they entered the lair, and Ladybug glanced at her partner, studying his demeanor for signs of extreme distress.  He looked back. “Let’s end this, my lady.”

She nodded firmly, turning back to face Hawkmoth again and grasping her yo-yo in her hand.

“How much  _ do _ I know about you, though, Ladybug?” the villain continued.  Tense and wary, she began spinning the yo-yo as Chat Noir took on a defensive stance.  “I seem to remember an encounter on a rooftop balcony yesterday evening between your akumatized partner and a civilian girl.  Does this sound familiar?”

“Stop stalling, Hawkmoth.”

He ignored her.  “But why should it sound familiar to you?  Unless _you_ _were there_.”

Ladybug’s spinning briefly faltered, but enough to be noticed.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”   


The hero watched him guardedly, unsure whether it was even worth denying.

“Just how much would you do for your  _ family _ , mademoiselle?”

As he spoke, the purple outline of a butterfly flashed over his eyes, and he stared forward as though looking at something that wasn’t there.

“Take them.”

Ladybug gasped, suddenly aware of just what was going on.  They didn’t ambush Hawkmoth. He was laying a trap for them.

“Chat Noir-” she started, voice panicked.  Before she could finish, though, he took her by the hand, and she looked to him.

“We can do this.  We take him down, then it’s all over.  They will be ok.”

She nodded, clearly distraught but unwilling to make decisions based on her emotions.  A good hero follows her head and her instincts, she told herself. Everything would be fine once she took Hawkmoth’s miraculous and released her own miraculous cure.

“And what about you, Chat Noir?”  They both turned back to Hawkmoth, his words settling into their hearts with a deep sense of dread.  “What would  _ you _ do for your family?”

The black-clad hero appeared to weigh his words before responding.  “Are you claiming to have someone I love? That’s hard to do. The person I care about most is right here.”

A sneer came over the villain’s face as he sauntered closer to the pair.

“I thought I taught you better.  Are you really so quick to replace your own mother, Adrien?”

Chat’s chest nearly collapsed in on itself.  He knew exactly who he was talking to, and it appeared the reverse was also true.  

“I haven’t replaced her.  I’ve just moved forward, something you seem incapable of doing.”

“I hope you can look her in the eye and tell her that when we have her back.  Maybe you could take this moment to practice.”

Chat looked questioningly at the man in front of him- he didn’t even know what to call him.  He was so many things at once, all of them conflicting and sickening to him. Whatever this man was, he was close enough to see his eyes, and as Chat watched, they flickered to focus on a spot behind him.

Ladybug had backed up defensively, maintaining a safe distance from their enemy.  She could see his gaze directed at something behind them, but refused to take her eye off the man.  He may be Adrien’s father, but she didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him (with her yo-yo, preferably).  As she observed the tense exchange between the two men in front of her, Chat’s head whipped around to look at whatever Hawkmoth was staring at.

His eyes went round, pupils blown until they almost disappeared, lined up flush with the edge of his green sclera, jaw nearly on the floor, face draining of blood, visible even in the dimness of the room.  

“Chat?  Chat!” Ladybug called, but got no response.

She took a few more steps back, spinning her yo-yo as a defensive measure, and quickly turned to see what had stunned her partner into almost a catatonic state.

Far back in the room, at the other end of a metal walkway, there was what appeared to be a glass coffin, a light above shining directly down on it.  And inside, even from the distance, there could be seen a small woman, resting as though asleep, hands crossed over her abdomen, clothed in white, golden hair shining brightly in the light.

She had only seen her in pictures, but there was no mistaking Emilie Agreste.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer, but not quite there! Even after the confrontation with Hawkmoth, there are several chapters to close out the lose ends. In fact, I haven't even finished writing all of them yet! Thanks again for your continued support :)
> 
> Questions, thoughts, suggestions? Hearing from you all really makes my day :)))


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir face off against their enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The heroes battle Hawkmoth, and Chat Noir gets to do what we all wish we could- punch Gabriel Agreste in the face.

**Day 78 part 3** :

Ladybug looked back at Chat, overcome by the wonder of what he must be feeling, seeing his long-lost mother after all this time, apparently technically  _ alive _ , having been underneath his feet for  _ five years _ as he wandered around, agonizing over never knowing what happened to her or where she was.

As she watched him anxiously, he bent over at the waist and emptied his stomach on the floor.  She wanted to go to him, but she was very aware again of the other person in the room. Speaking of, reminded of this awful man’s presence, Ladybug shot him a scathing look of absolute odium that would have shrunk a weaker (or more moral) man into nothing.  Hawkmoth bore it, refusing to acknowledge it as he walked in the direction of the coffin.

It was like a scene from Snow White, but much more twisted and disturbing.

Ladybug’s eyes narrowed as he inched closer, cautious that he not draw too close, but as he passed her, he didn’t even spare her a glance, choosing instead to approach his wife’s dormant form.

The scarlet hero followed him with her eyes, turning her entire body to keep him within her line of sight.  When he was a (relatively) comfortable distance away, she walked backward until she reached Chat’s hunched frame, placing an arm over his back and speaking soothing words to his ears.  When he raised his head, his eyes were bloodshot, his face and lips pallid. His pupils were so dilated, she didn’t doubt he would find it difficult to maintain his balance if he moved too suddenly.

Standing as best he could, Chat took deep breaths, wiping the back of a gloved hand across his mouth, and pulled his baton from his back as he walked slowly toward where his father stood.  Ladybug followed close behind, watching her partner carefully.

“It’s all to bring her back, you know,” the man said, back still toward both heroes.  “The ring and the earrings can be combined to make a single reality-altering wish. I just want her home, safe and healthy again.”  Then he turned to them. “Is that not an end worth the means? Would you really condemn your mother to death when you had a chance to give her life?”

Chat didn’t pause in his trek.  Instead, his grip on his baton seemed to tighten, and from her position next to and slightly behind him, Ladybug could see the outline of his jaw harden.  He quickly spat to the side on the floor.

“I don’t think she would have wanted it if she saw what you did to achieve it.  She would be sick from guilt, and frankly I think she would be ashamed of you.”

Hawkmoth barely seemed to hear him.  When he spoke it was as though he wasn’t even aware he was doing so, almost as if he were halfway between dreamworld and reality, observing something that wasn’t there, speaking into a world that he couldn’t see.

“All this time, I’ve been fighting you, not even realizing who you were.  All those times you were hurt, the times you almost died, I thought I was keeping you safe by hiding you away from the world, but you managed to defy death at every turn.  You’ll survive this, too.”

Then Hawkmoth’s expression became stony, resolve visibly strengthening.  Ladybug’s stomach twisted into knots.

“If you’re not with me, you’re only in my way.  Hand over your miraculous, or I will be forced to take it from you.”

Chat swallowed, voice hoarse as a tear rolled down his cheek.  “I can’t do that, father.”

Hawkmoth assumed a fighting stance.

“Then I suggest you don’t hold back, because I won’t.”

Chat barely had time to fortify his position as his father lunged, cane outstretched in front of him like a sword.  Ladybug stepped back, unsure if she should even interfere. She wanted to help her partner, but she had little to no experience in fencing, and she had no weapon fit for such a match.

If there was any time for a Lucky Charm, she supposed this was it.  Tossing up her yo-yo she called out, holding out hope she would receive something useful and straightforward.

What she received was a shield.

Not exactly a weapon, but relatively straightforward.  Without hesitation, Ladybug launched toward the fray, blocking strikes from Hawkmoth as Chat countered with lunges.  The men had already made a few hits against each other, and both were already breathing hard from the exertion. Just when she thought they had the advantage, though, things took a dark turn.

Hawkmoth had been forced to back down for a moment, but as he stood there staring at them, he raised his cane slowly up, grasping the shaft with one hand while his dominant hand held onto the bulbous head.  As he pulled in opposite directions, the shaft began to separate until he had a sword in one grip and its sheath in another.

Until then, apparently, he was simply warming up.  Ladybug’s pulse raced, genuinely fearful that not only could this man harm his own son, but that he  _ would _ .  She thought back to their discussion that morning about the possibility that they were living out a day (or days) they had already lived before.  Chat suggested they might have faced Hawkmoth and lost. Ladybug was more and more convinced by the second that it was so.

But she had few moments until her transformation fell.  Her miraculous already beeped once, meaning she had less than 4 minutes left until her protective suit disappeared.  She took a deep breath for steadiness, then held up the shield using her left arm in a ready stance. Chat stood beside her, baton gripped firmly in his right hand.

The next second, Hawkmoth was lunging toward them, and Ladybug held up the shield for protection as Chat struck low.  But the villain was too quick for them. As his sword hit the red and black spotted shield, he dodged Chat’s hit and brought his sheath around with all his might, striking Chat in his unprotected ribs.  The casing was hollow, but the metal was still strong, and Hawkmoth had his own supernatural strength. Ladybug was sure she heard a crack. The hero contorted back reflexively in pain, leaving Ladybug’s right side vulnerable to attack.  As Hawkmoth raised his sword again, she ducked and held the shield above her head, blocking the blow, but unable to stop the kick which knocked her back on the floor.

Her earrings beeped again as she tried to rebound, but Hawkmoth was two steps ahead of her, sword already on the descent even as she struggled to scramble to her feet.  Just as it was about to find its mark, Chat’s baton came slicing through the air, knocking the sword upward and off course. Instead of a stab through the chest, Ladybug received a laceration that ran from just below her cheekbone, up the side of her face, skirting the outer edge of her eyebrow by the temple.

She stood as quickly as she could, fighting against the instability in her legs, which felt slightly wobbly after the near-miss.  Her earrings beeped again. Two minutes.

She watched as Chat and Hawkmoth continued to battle, the villain clearly more in control of the match, more skilled and less winded by the fight, in addition to being physically unharmed.  With the way Chat struggled to raise his right arm, Ladybug could only guess some of his ribs were cracked or broken.

She had precious moments left, and as she watched, Hawkmoth was getting the advantage.  Chat faltered for a second, giving his father the opening to strike as he raised both hands above his head for another blow.  Instinctively, Ladybug called, “Chat, duck!” and he obeyed without question. She threw her shield, parallel to the ground, as hard as she could, and the thin, blunt edge collided harshly with Hawkmoth’s exposed chest.

He grunted loudly as the breath was knocked out of him, flying backward and colliding with the wall, sword dropping to the ground near him.  In an instant, Ladybug tossed her yo-yo at a rafter in the ceiling to swing toward the momentarily de-armed man. Chat appeared to have the same idea, scrambling to reach him before his lady could land.

Then, several things happened at once:

Hawkmoth began to rise from his position on the ground, reaching out for his sword with his right hand.

Ladybug’s swinging arc placed her on course to land right in front of the desperate man.

Chat Noir saw his lady on track to collide with a lethal weapon and called for his Cataclysm.

Before she could reach them, he threw himself at Hawkmoth, surprising him.

With his Cataclysm, Chat swiped at Hawkmoth’s miraculous, detaching it from his clothing and destroying it in one fluid motion.  As his partner practically fell on top of him, Hawkmoth’s suit and sword disappeared into a purple flash, leaving behind a disheveled, weaponless Gabriel Agreste.

Ladybug panted, visibly relieved as she reached for her Lucky Charm and tossed it in the air, shouting “Miraculous Ladybug!”

A swarm of Ladybugs surrounded them, healing Chat’s cracked ribs, the probable chest injuries Gabriel suffered from the shield, and the cut running up Ladybug’s face.  The destroyed miraculous was repaired, and Chat transferred it to his empty pocket. 

Gabriel growled, launching forward in an attempt to tackle Ladybug, but was immediately on the ground as Chat laid him out with a hard punch to the face.

“Oh my God, Chat!” Ladybug exclaimed.  Instead of responding, he drew her into his arms, the last of her transformation running out as she allowed him to hold her.  Her arms came up from underneath his own to grasp his broad back, and he wrapped himself around her shoulders.

With his face buried in her neck, he breathed, relieved, “My lady, I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“Oh, Chat,” she sighed, patting him reassuringly.  “I have you here with me. Everything will always turn out alright in the end.”

He pulled back reluctantly, sparing a glance down at his unconscious father.

“But you really didn’t have to hit him that hard, Chaton.”

Chat scowled, but at the man on the ground, not at the woman in front of him.

“He deserves a lot more.”  Then he looked up, grabbing each side of her face as his ring let out a warning beep.  “He almost killed you.”

Marinette raised a sympathetic hand to cover one of his own, caressing it soothingly as she looked into his eyes.  “But he didn’t. We’re both ok now, Chaton. And no matter what, from here on out, we have each other.”

A look of deep sadness crossed his face.  In that moment, he felt like he had lost not only one parent, but two, even if both were technically in the room with him, very alive.

He let go of her face to turn completely toward his father’s unconscious form, watching him from his position above.  Marinette pulled cookies out of her purse to feed an exhausted Tikki, waiting quietly as he came to terms with everything that happened.

Chat pulled out his baton, another beep sounding from his ring.  He extended it to use the call function, raising it to his ear and speaking into the receiver.

“Mayor Bourgeois... yes, it’s Chat Noir.”  He was silent for a second as he listened to the voice on the other end.  “I know there was an akuma loose, and that it had hostages. Ladybug and I-”  He listened again, expression impatient. “We’ve apprehended Hawkmoth-” There was a loud, surprised exclamation.  Chat rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m certain. We need the police to come take him into custody, and to make sure the hostages get home safely.  The akuma should have been neutralized already.” Then his face paled some, mouth drooping at the edges. “We’re at the Agreste residence. Hawkmoth... is Gabriel Agreste.  Ladybug and I will be here waiting.” Then he hung up, no longer willing to listen to any more of Mayor Bourgeois’ inane drivel. The mayor likely missed the croak in Chat’s voice when he named the man behind Hawkmoth’s mask, but Marinette did not.  She approached him from behind as he stared down at his baton, eyes unseeing.

“You should detransform, Chaton, so Plagg can recharge before we have to deal with the police.”  Chat nodded silently. Marinette gave Tikki a look, and the kwami nodded in confirmation. She was ready to transform.

As Chat Noir turned into Adrien Agreste, Marinette Dupain-Cheng became Ladybug.

Wordlessly, Adrien pulled the cheese out of his pocket and handed it to a somber, though visibly relieved, Plagg.  

While Plagg chewed, Ladybug used her yo-yo to secure Gabriel to some of the metal work, not satisfied until the lines were nearly impossible to unravel.  Then she came back to stand by her partner, a supportive arm around his waist as she leaned on his shoulder. 

Looking down at his lady, he gave her a watery smile.  As he leaned down from above and she rose up on her tiptoes, their lips met in a kiss that signified love, partnership, trust, and the end to a long, painful journey.  But it was also the beginning of something much more beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, was it a satisfactory scene? The story could end here, and if you want, you don't have to read any further, but I'm still interested to see what happens when Hawkmoth is exposed. I hope you'll all stick with me and find out.
> 
> Questions, comments, suggestions? Let me know what you think!


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette deal with the implications of Hawkmoth's defeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! I can't believe the positive response to the last chapters! :) I'm really glad that you all have stuck with me this far, and as I continue to explore the aftermath of a finally successful timeline.

**~~Day 79~~ **

**~~Day 0+1~~ **

**Day +1** :

It felt so odd to wake up the next morning, aware that the long-awaited end to Hawkmoth’s reign had come, but unsure how to proceed in a post-Hawkmoth world.

Marinette opened her eyes slowly, conscious of a warm body snuggled up against her, but momentarily confused as to why that was.

That is, until she looked up.

Next to her, sleeping soundly, was Adrien.  Her best friend, her partner, her  _ lover _ , her  **everything** .

The events from the night before came flooding back to her.  The police arriving, Chat Noir leading them down to the hidden lair, the arrest of a very angry, very silent Gabriel Agreste.  The way he looked at his son (in the form of Chat Noir) as he was led away in handcuffs, cut through to Marinette’s soul.

She truly believed the misguided man loved Adrien, but in the moment, she was pretty sure he couldn’t remember that.  He had just lost the thing for which he had been fighting for  _ 4 years _ \- and along with it, his chance to bring back his wife from her comatose state.  The police took one look at the coffin-encased woman and gaped. Deciding it was best to leave her handling to medical professionals, they did not disturb her for the rest of the evening.

Marinette’s greatest fear was that Gabriel would out both herself and Adrien as the real people behind the heroes’ masks, but knowing there was nothing really for him to gain from it, she doubted he would.  Gabriel was nothing if not practical, and if something did not benefit him, he rarely saw it done. Albeit, those actions which served his purposes he carried out  _ passionately _ , if his run as Paris’ resident villain was any indication.

Still, she thought it would be best to come clean to her friends and family as soon as possible about her 4-year long secret... vocation.  After Ladybug and Chat Noir gave their statements to police, they destransformed in a vacant alley and headed to her home. It didn’t take much to convince her parents to let Adrien stay with them, especially once they heard his father was arrested for terrorism and other crimes, and the two adults didn’t question what the teens were doing together, or how they both knew about the arrest before anyone else.  It wasn’t, after all, the time to ask questions.

Once safely cocooned in her bed, they talked for hours, shedding quite a few tears, baring some old wounds, some new ones as well, and decided the best thing they could do would be to tell loved ones the truth.  If it came out, they would already know. If it didn’t, then they felt like they owed it to them after so many years of hiding in plain sight. So many years of secrets and lies, all in the name of protecting those they loved.

And, besides, Hawkmoth’s reign of terror, and the dangers it posed, were at an end.

In the morning, Marinette watched Adrien breathe deeply and evenly.  After seeing him fall apart in her arms the night before, it was a relief to see his forehead without the deep lines of worry and grief.  It was a relief to see him breathe calmly instead of the intense gasping he suffered in a panic attack. She raised a hand to softly trace the curve of his face, drawing it back as he stirred under her touch.

Slowly, his lids parted, and her eyes met endless fields of green, albeit rimmed in red.

“Hi,” she whispered quietly, not wanting to disturb him if he wasn’t fully awake.  He smiled softly.

“Hi.”

“Did you sleep... ok?” she asked carefully.

“Mm,” he responded.  “Better than I expected, but I suspect that’s thanks to you.”  His arms around her tightened, pulling her closer.

Marinette smiled but resisted the urge to giggle.  Morning breath was a thing, after all. She raised a hand to cover her mouth before she spoke.

“Do you think you could eat something for breakfast this morning?”

Adrien smirked amusedly, mimicking her hand-to-face movement.

“That all depends.  Are you on the menu?”

Marinette rolled her eyes but blushed anyway. 

“Chaton,” she practically groaned.  His smirk only grew wider. Removing his hand from his face, he grabbed her wrist and pried her own out from between them, then pressed forward to merge their lips.

She groaned again, but in an entirely different, much more pleasurable way.  As he tried to part her lips with his tongue, though, she couldn’t resist the giggle that bubbled up within her and pulled away, laughter tumbling out.

“Mi _ nou _ !” she chuckled.  “That’s disgusting!  My teeth feel fuzzy and my tongue tastes like something died in my mouth!”

Adrien began to laugh as well, looking so simply happy as he retreated that she nearly cried with joy.

“Princess, I don’t care about that.”  And he tried to inch closer. She scooted further back, climbing off the bed.

“Well,  _ I _ do,” she countered, still laughing, holding her hands out in front of her in case he should try to cross the distance between them and continue his previous assault on her mouth.  But he only smiled back.

Then his expression softened.  

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

Marinette almost melted, but only returned his look.

“We should both brush our teeth so I can appropriately respond to that statement.”

Then she held out a hand.

“Come on, kitty, I’ve got a fresh spare toothbrush you can use.”

And as he took her hand and followed her out of the room, the sun streaming in the window, it was the first time in years that Adrien felt like his bad luck was turning around.

* * *

The doorbell downstairs signalled a visitor, so Marinette rushed down to answer it.  After the news broke about Gabriel Agreste, admired and respected fashion designer and general recluse, being Hawkmoth, feared villain and terrorist of Paris,  _ everyone _ wanted a piece of Adrien Agreste.  News reporters wanted to know whether he knew about his father’s crimes, whether he participated in them, how he felt about the turn of events, whether he was going to set up a fund or donate money for his father’s victims.  People they rarely ever talked to were texting him, all wanting to feel like they had a connection to the whole drama vicariously through him. Within a few hours, Adrien turned off his cell and only contacted people he actually  _ wanted _ to talk to (read: Nino) using Marinette’s phone.  In fact, he was planning to destroy his own and get a whole new one, number included, at the earliest opportunity.

No one knew Adrien was staying with Marinette, but she still felt cautious that, somehow, someone would find out.  Her parents closed the bakery for the day just in case, citing it as a day of celebration that Hawkmoth had been stopped, though, in reality, it was more the opposite.  All the same, when the doorbell rang in the late morning, Marinette wasn’t going to let  _ any _ one else answer it.

It was, thankfully, Alya and Nino, whom they were expecting.  Once Marinette and Adrien made it downstairs for breakfast (after alternating sessions of making out and cuddling for comfort, of course), they told her parents they wanted to talk to about something important, but only once everyone was all together.  Understanding the delicate nature of everything going on, her parents agreed without question, patiently waiting until the other two arrived.

There they were, all settled in the living room, her parents and friends squished together on the couch as she and Adrien sat in adjacent chairs, hands clasped together.

Alya looked at her friend, eyes traveling rapidly from their hands to their faces and back multiple times, visibly on the verge of bursting at the seams with questions, but also showing restraint and sensitivity because of the circumstances.  Nino held her hand, ostensibly to keep her grounded and provide something to clench tightly as she kept herself in check. Marinette looked at him gratefully.

Clearing her throat, she began.

“Thank you all for being here.”  She glanced at Adrien, who was watching her.  “I’ll do most of the talking, if that makes you more comfortable?”  She phrased it as a question, and he nodded. “Ok. If you want to add something or jump in, just go right ahead.”

Taking a deep breath, she faced everyone and continued.

“Last night, as you all know, Adrien’s father was captured by Ladybug and Chat Noir.  He’s been arrested and charged for crimes connected to his actions as Hawkmoth.” Alya’s and Nino’s jaws simultaneously clenched, and Marinette noticed her mother’s expression go very grave.  Her father held a supportive arm around Sabine’s shoulders.

“But there’s a lot more to the story.”  She looked at Adrien again as though making sure he was ok with what she had to say next, then she looked back at her captive audience.  “I know you’re all wondering how Adrien and I knew about the arrest so quickly, and why we were together in the first place, why we disappeared from school yesterday.”  She paused once more. No going back after this. “The reason for all of that is- that Adrien and I were there.  _ We _ captured Hawkmoth.  Adrien and I are Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

The two shared a look, then simultaneously called on their transformations.  As the four people in front of them watched, Marinette and Adrien turned into the superheroes in a burst of pink and green light.  Everyone remained silent, speechless, their faces shocked and pale, four jaws hinging open so dramatically it was almost comical. Except, that it wasn’t.  It was heart wrenching and unfair in so many ways.

Then they all started speaking at once.

Ladybug silenced them all.

“I know you probably have a lot of questions.”  In an instant, they all stopped. “And we will explain everything the best that we can, but right now, I need you all to understand that what we need for now is a little space and time.”  She looked at Chat then, tears in her eyes. “Because last night, Adrien and I had the unfortunate responsibility of taking his own father down. It was terrible, and traumatic, and right now, there’s very little holding both of us together.”

Her mother’s hands clenched.  Alya seemed ready to cry. Nino frowned deeply, and her father looked as though he were in actual pain.

“Hawkm- Gabriel knows who we are.  And there’s a chance that, very soon, all of Paris will know.  It’s not the only reason we decided to share this with you, but it is one of the reasons we decided to tell you as soon as possible.”

Then the transformations faded, and Marinette and Adrien once again sat in front of them.  The four other people in the room looked around at each other, unsure what to say or how to express the depth of their gratitude, of their sadness, of their love for these two incredible human beings.  Instead, they all stood and, taking turns, hugged the people they loved most, who had been the guardians watching over them, putting their own lives at risk all along.

Alya held Marinette’s face, tears spilling over her cheeks.

“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered, and Marinette’s nose flared as she tried to suppress the tears she felt stinging the corners in her eyes.

Nino gave her a sincere squeeze, cheek against her hair as he told her, “You’re the most incredible dudette.  I’m so honored to be your friend.”

Sabine embraced her tightly as though afraid she would disappear if she let go.  Tom came up behind them, gathering both of them in his large, strong arms.

“My baby girl,” her mother cried, unable to stem the emotional tide.  Even Tom’s eyes were rimmed red.

Nino hugged Adrien, who returned his vice-like hold.

“Dude.  You’re seriously the best, strongest person I’ve ever known.”

Adrien patted his friend’s back, rivers running down his face, at a loss for words.

As he pulled back, Alya approached, smile watery and arms spread.  She pulled him into her arms, saying, “You’re too good for this world, sunshine.”  He snorted at the endearment, and she pulled back. “I mean it. When lesser people would fall apart, you’re pushing through.  Everyone would have understood if you couldn’t do what you did, but you did it anyway. There aren’t words to express how  _ too good _ you really are.”

Adrien smiled back half-heartedly, turning to gaze at Marinette and her parents, who were still wrapped up tightly in their family huddle.

“It’s all because of her.”

Alya turned to follow his gaze, a genuinely happy smile taking over her face.

“It’s about time, you oblivious cinnamon roll.”

Adrien gave her a sincere laugh, grateful beyond description for the people who cared for him, for how wonderful they were.

“Don’t worry,” he told her with a smirk.  “We’re making up for lost time.” Then he leaned into her ear and whispered, “Some of that is thanks to your very thoughtful gifts.”  Alya’s eyes widened, and he let out a guffaw that attracted everyone’s attention.

Tom and Sabine looked at him fondly, each reaching out an arm toward him.

“Come on, son,” Tom ordered.  “You’re family now.”

The blond’s expression turned to shock, his mirth forgotten.  He hadn’t been part of a family in so long, he didn’t know how to respond.  Tom waved his hand, motioning for him to join in the hug as Marinette smiled at him.  Without further hesitation, Adrien threw himself at the family-  _ his _ family, allowing them to smother him with all the love they had to give.  Alya and Nino looked on, one of each of their arms wrapped around the other’s back.

As everyone parted, two sprites, one red and one black, flew close to the group, waiting to be noticed.  Introductions were made, though Marinette’s parents were really the ones surprised by the little beings, as Alya and Nino were more than acquainted with their own kwamis.  And to Plagg’s credit, he waited until Marinette and Adrien got through their explanation of just what “these things” were before asking for Camembert. 

As Adrien scowled, Tom laughed heartily.  “I like him!” 

After discovering it was the kwami’s preferred food, he immediately started imagining all the ways he could use Camembert in his baking.  To say Plagg was enamored and besotted with his new favorite (ok, second favorite) human would be an understatement. 

He followed the burly man into the kitchen, and seconds later a cry of, “Oh, my precious Camembert!” echoed out into the living room.  Tikki rolled her eyes fondly at her counterpart’s antics, heading for the kitchen as well in search of cookies.

Soon after, everyone followed behind, beginning the preparations for their first lunch together without secrets, the first one without worry of interruption from an akuma, and the first one where they could all be together as the unconventional family they had become- finally complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: we find out more about Emilie.
> 
> Questions, comments, suggestions? 
> 
> Favorite thing about this fic?
> 
> What would you like to see happen in future chapters?


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette have a talk with Tikki and Plagg, and Adrien gets some news about his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up moving some events in this chapter and the next chapter around, so if you see anything that doesn't seem like it makes sense order-wise, let me know please! I tried to read through it and make sure it followed a sensible order, but I know the story already, so it makes sense to me no matter what (lolz).

**Day +2** :

“Well, we can’t... tell you much,” Tikki hesitated, looking at Plagg for agreement before going on.  “Frankly, it was also quite horrifying to witness, much less have to recount it all, but I supposed we could answer a few questions.”

The two kwamis hovered in front of their chosens, limbs linked, as they exchanged nervous glances.  It was almost amusing how closely their positions and expressions mirrored Adrien and Marinette’s own.

“What can you tell us?” Marinette asked.

“Your suspicions about reliving the same days are veritable.  There was an original version of those two days leading up to the confrontation with Hawkmoth.  In that timeline..." Tikki paused, gulping audibly. “You both died.”

Marinette couldn’t help it.  She began to cry silently, Adrien wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“A wish was made, a wish for a chance to change the outcome of those days.”  Tikki looked at Adrien. “It was your father’s wish. When he realized what he had done, who you were, he gave up his hope of reuniting with your mother for a chance to save you.”

Adrien couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  He knew he should hate his father for making himself a murderer- probably more times than he could count or even remember- and sometimes, deep inside, he did, but it tugged at his heart that his father was willing to let go of the dream of saving his mother in favor of saving his child.  If he had ever felt uncertain his father loved him, those uncertainties disappeared. Without a doubt, he was a deeply flawed man, condemnable and deserving punishment. But he was his father, and there were bonds that surpassed even the greatest iniquities.

“As part of the wish’s limitations, neither Plagg nor myself could interfere or tell you anything that would directly change your actions, including who each of you are.  We saw several timelines that ended in defeat before this one. It was extremely traumatic. Please don’t ask for details, because some of them were too awful to even tell.  Just know that we never gave up on you two, and we knew this day would come.” Tikki looked at Plagg. “It’s the only thing that kept us going.”

Marinette and Adrien sat in silence, absorbing what Tikki had said, but still reeling from all the implications of it.  All the times they died- most likely in many different ways, and from the sound of it, some of them were particularly gruesome.  Marinette thought back to her phantom pains, and knowing exactly where they came from made her sick to her stomach. She could live without knowing the details.

“Can we ask... how many times we went through it?” Adrien questioned apprehensively.

The kwamis appeared to communicate with their eyes for a second before Plagg faced his chosen.

He didn’t mean for it to come out raspy, but it did, when he said, “Forty.  This was the fortieth time you two have faced Hawkmoth.”

They inhaled a collective gasp, completely taken aback at the staggering number of times they had failed in facing off against their enemy.

“That’s all we are willing to tell you, so please don’t ask any more.  I don’t think either the two of you, or us can handle it.”

Marinette nodded through the tears flowing down her face, through the hand that came up to cover her mouth, through her blurred vision and squinted eyes as her forehead scrunched into a disturbed, contorted version of itself.  Adrien held her against his front, his own tears rolling down his cheeks without intermission. The two kwamis flew to their favorite human beings, giving as much comfort as they could in their tiny forms until tears dried up and breathing resumed its normal rhythm.  It was a long time coming, but everything was finally on its way to healing.

* * *

**Day +3** :

“What are you saying?” Adrien asked, brow furrowed as he tried to grasp what the doctor was telling him.

The man gave him a sympathetic look.  “There’s no medical explanation for  _ why _ your mother won’t wake up.  We’ve run every test that exists.  There’s nothing  _ medically _ wrong with her.  She just won’t wake up.  It’s like she’s being kept in a stasis, a coma, and I don’t expect that to change if she’s been like this for the last five years.”

Adrien thought for a moment, looking through the window at his mother’s unconscious form.  Marinette squeezed his hand comfortingly.

“So what are you advising we do?”

“Well, she seems to be dependent on intervention to stay alive, and if she isn’t able to wake up or continue to function on her own, then it might be time to consider allowing her to pass on naturally.”

Adrien sucked in a breath.  His mother was missing for five years, and she was under his feet the whole time.  Now that he had her back, he was supposed to go through the trauma of trying to let her go all over again?

“Thank you, doctor.  I’ll, uh, I’ll think on it.”

The man placed a consoling hand on his upper arm.

“Take your time.”  Then he was gone.

Adrien and Marinette walked into the hospital room, and once he had made sure no one was watching, Adrien opened his shirt flap for Plagg to escape.

“Plagg, please tell me you know something about this.”

Plagg looked torn.

“Kid, it seems fishy to me.  We already know the peacock miraculous was damaged, but now that Master Fu has it, hopefully it can be repaired.  The thing is, if anyone had attempted to use it, especially for an extended period of time, then it could have really negative effects on the person’s well-being.”

“So you’re saying my mother’s condition could be a result of magic.”

“I’m saying it’s a possibility,” he answered, “but I can’t say for sure.  If there’s nothing else wrong with her, then it could be the reason she’s like this.”

“Is there anything that can be done to heal her?” Marinette asked as Tikki flew up from her purse.  “I mean, when Tikki was sick, I took her to Master Fu, and he healed her. He has the peacock miraculous now, so maybe if he can fix that, he can heal her, too.”

“I can’t give you any answers,” Plagg replied regretfully.  “I can only tell you possibilities. For all we know, the miraculous will never be fixed, or your mother’s condition is incurable.”

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other.  Then Adrien spoke.

  
“I guess it’s time we visited Master Fu again.”

* * *

Chat Noir and Ladybug dropped stealthily into an alley behind Master Fu’s massage parlor.  Looking around to make sure no one had seen them, they both dropped their transformations, rounding the corner to enter the shop as Marinette and Adrien.

“Hello, Ladybug.  Hello, Chat Noir. I’m very pleased to see you again so soon.”  Master Fu greeted them with his usual calming demeanor, bringing his hands in front of his body as though to pray and bowing before them.  Adrien and Marinette reciprocated the gesture.

“Hello, Master Fu,” Marinette began.  “I know it’s not advisable for us to come here very often, but we had something important to discuss with you.”

Master Fu nodded to them.  “Yes, Ladybug. I am indebted to you both for the return of the butterfly and peacock miraculouses, as well as the book of the miraculouses.  Please, how may I be of assistance?”

Marinette grabbed Adrien’s hand in support, looking to him in a prompt to speak.  He cleared his throat.

“Master Fu, I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the situation with my mother.”  The old man nodded peacefully. “The thing is, doctors can’t find any reason why she won’t wake up.  It’s an enigma. And, well, I was wondering, well,  _ we _ were wondering, if there’s any chance that my mother’s condition could have come from her using the peacock miraculous.”

Master Fu looked thoughtful, stroking his goatee pensively.

“It is very possible, Adrien, that your mother could have been using the peacock miraculous, and if she had, then it is highly likely it would have led to her current condition.”  Adrien held his breath. “Unfortunately, I cannot give you assurance that anything can be done for her. I have been reading through the grimoire you returned to me in an effort to mend Duusu’s miraculous, but have not made any progress so far.”

Adrien’s shoulders drooped dejectedly.  The master laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“My dear Adrien, that is not to say all hope is lost.  If I can repair the brooch, it may also help your mother to wake from whatever dormant form has taken over her.  I am also a healer, though not the kind that you would consider scientific. I am a healer of magic, and if your mother’s condition is the result of magic, then I may yet be able to help her.”

Adrien inhaled deeply, unable to find words to express the hope those words gave him.

“Please keep in mind, I cannot guarantee anything, but if you wish, I will do everything in my power to make your mother well.”

The blond’s eyes closed in relief, tears falling swiftly down his cheeks.  Next to him, Marinette rubbed his back comfortingly.

Suddenly, Adrien flew forward, and he nearly knocked the elderly man over with the sheer inertia of his movement.  In the blink of an eye, he wrapped the small man in a hug, hunching over to be able to reach him comfortably.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

The old man smiled.  “You are very welcome, Chat Noir.”

* * *

**Day +7** :

Adrien and Marinette sat side by side on the floor of Master Fu’s parlor.  The front door was shut and locked, sign flipped to closed. Lights were dim as something fragrant and soothing burned.  All was silent except for a low hum that emanated from their master’s throat as his hands hovered in the air above a still unconscious Emilie Agreste.

Adrien’s grip on Marinette’s hand was borderline painful, but she paid it no mind, well aware of the tension taking over his entire body.  On the tabletop by the back wall sat their kwamis, nervously munching on cookies and Camembert. Not far from them, was the gramophone where all the miraculouses, including a now repaired peacock miraculous, rested in peace.

They had been there, mostly unmoving, for the better part of the day.  Already the sun was beginning to set, and it cast warm beams of light about the room.  Suddenly, the master’s low humming stopped, and he looked at the pair of lovers sat in front of him.

“Your mother has been asleep for a very long time.  This could take many hours, even days. I recommend that you go home and get some rest.  I will notify you if anything changes.”

Adrien gulped anxiously, not wanting to leave, but always trusting in his master’s advice.  Marinette patted him consolingly.

“It will be alright, Adrien.  Master Fu will let us know if anything happens.”

He simply nodded wordlessly, rising up to stand as his partner did the same.  Clasping hands, they bowed together and exited the shop, choosing to take the long way home by foot.

They walked in relative silence, and even in the dim light of the evening, Adrien did his best to hide underneath a hood and cap, sunglasses covering his face.  They took streets that they knew were less frequented, sometimes ducking into shops or behind buildings whenever it looked like someone recognized him and would approach.

It took much longer than a romp over the rooftops, but that didn’t matter.  If anything, it gave them time to gather their thoughts before returning home.

For the first few days, Adrien found it impossible to go back to the mansion, but he recognized there were many things there that he would need.  He waited until he had given his interview with the police, who cleared him of any suspicion, and was told that anything that was considered evidence had already been removed from the building.

When he finally returned, its vast, empty silence felt suffocating.  Every corner he turned held a memory of a time when he lived in blissful ignorance, unaware of the travesties that were taking place just below him.  There weren’t many things he even wanted to keep, but his favorite games and movies were packed into a bag, as well as enough clothes to last him a few days before he was able to buy more.  For the most part, he wasn’t ready to wear his father’s label, still overwhelmed by betrayal and grief.

Nathalie, both surprisingly and unsurprisingly, was there, trying to wrangle the absolute circus left in the wake of Gabriel’s arrest.  His company’s stock prices plummeted, and more than half of the employees quit on the spot, with no one willing to force them to honor their contracts.  The company, in very short order, was floundering, and it all fell on this stoic, typically composed woman’s shoulders.

He had never seen her so bedraggled and exhausted in the entire time that he had known her.

She sat at her desk, hair unkempt and clothes in disarray, muttering to herself as she erratically tapped at the tablet in her hands.

“Nathalie?” he asked quietly.  Instantly her head shot up.

“Adrien!  I wasn’t expecting to see you... here.”  The poor woman seemed at a loss as to what to do, looking about the space around her randomly, unseeing and unsure of what she was looking for.

“I came to gather some of my things.  I’ve been staying with my fr- my girlfriend.”  It was still weird to say. She nodded, unfazed by his admission.

“I’m very sorry for everything you’re going through,” she told him in a moment of surprising empathy.  Adrien suspected she was going through quite a lot herself. 

“Thank you,” he responded.  And he meant it. Most of the people who said something similar to him did so because that’s what you do, but he could sense the sincerity in her voice.  She was, sort of, the closest thing he had to family until now. He turned to walk on, but there was one thing that had been nagging at him. As soon as he had turned, he whirled back around.

“Nathalie, I have to ask.  Did you know... about father?”  He was nearly sure she did, as closely as they worked together and as intimately as she knew him- better, obviously, than even Adrien.

The way her face paled even more spoke volumes.  She cleared her throat, looking back down at her desk and fidgeting with random papers on the desktop, shuffling and organizing them needlessly.

“Like I said, Adrien, I’m very sorry.  I tried my best to protect you. If I had known you-” her voice cracked, and she cleared it again, not endeavoring to finish the sentence.  She didn’t need to. He knew what she meant.

“It’s ok, Nathalie,” he told her.  “I understand.” It hurt, but it was true.

“Your father is a flawed man, I know.  But I would do anything to help him, to make him happy- to make you both happy.  I thought I was doing the right thing. He needed me, and I-” She stopped there, saying no more.

“You love him.”

Her eyes flew up immediately, a broken look haunting them.

“And because I love you.”

Adrien gave her a small smile.

“I love you too, Nathalie.”

And now, as they walked the streets at dusk toward home, fingers intertwined, Adrien allowed himself to ruminate on the possibility that he would never get his mother back.  At first, the thought crippled him. How could the universe be so cruel to take his mother away and give her back, only to take her away again? 

But the longer he thought about it, the more he saw it as a blessing.  When she disappeared, he was left to grapple with the fact that he had no idea where she was.  It was the lack of knowing that was the hardest- the feeling that she simply ceased to exist as though she never did.   Never knowing what happened to her, where she ended up. It caused many a sleepless night for him as a young teenager.

But having her back, even for this brief time, even without being able to actually talk  _ with _ her instead of  _ at _ her, he was grateful just to  _ know _ , to be able to say goodbye, to get the closure he never had, yet so desperately needed, if the time came to put her in the ground.  Perhaps, despite what his father thought, the universe  _ did _ care, in its own way.  Adrien looked at the woman walking silently next to him.  At the very least, he had  _ her _ , even when all the rest of the world went to shit- she was all he would  _ need _ .

The two of them entered the stairwell to the upper level.  Tom and Sabine were closing up for the day, but would be upstairs soon.  In the quiet of the empty apartment, they rested on Marinette’s bed, cuddled up together in a mess of limbs and tangled bodies.  Marinette stroked his hair, running her fingers through his golden tresses in the way she knew calmed him. Deep in his chest, a purr began to sputter to life, his eyelids drooping from the sensation.

They lay there a while, exchanging kisses and caresses before both quieted and stilled.  And when Marinette’s parents came up to call them down for dinner an hour later, they turned around and walked back out, unwilling to disturb the pair who were finally getting some much needed sleep.

* * *

**Day +8** :

It was still early morning when the two of them finally stirred.  Thin rays of light peeked through the window, illuminating the intertwined figures on the bed.  Adrien was the first to rouse, raising his head to look around confusedly, wondering how long they had been asleep.  The light in the room told him it hadn’t been long, but the rested feeling in his body suggested it was much longer than a few minutes.  Glancing at the nearby phone, he realized it was actually the following morning and shot up in bed, disturbing Marinette.

As he unlocked the phone to check for missed notifications, she looked around bewilderedly as if trying to force herself awake, rising up to sit by Adrien’s side.  No missed calls or messages, so Adrien set the phone to the side, trying to see the lack of information as a positive sign instead of a negative one.

Sitting at breakfast downstairs sometime later, Adrien jumped up from his chair when he heard the phone begin to ring.  It took him less than a second to reach it, snatching it up from its place on the counter and answering the call with a breathless, “Hello?”

“Hello, Adrien,” said the voice on the other end.  “I think it would be best if you and Marinette visited the store at your earliest convenience.  You might see something  _ miraculous _ .”

Adrien’s heart rate soared.  He nearly hung up without a response, but at the last second had enough presence of mind to call into the phone, “We’ll be right there Master Fu!” before ending the call and swiveling to face Marinette.  “I think my mother is awake.”

She was up in a flash, purse slung across her body as Tikki hovered nearby.  “Let’s go, then, Chaton.”

Together they called for their transformations and sprinted up toward the balcony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about it and decided not to include a Chloe redemption. I really wanted to fit in a scene where Marinette and Chloe have a heart to heart, and she thanks Marinette for her love and loyalty to Adrien, for being a better friend to him than she could have been, but when I sat down to write it, it just didn't fit in with the rest of the story. This fic is so Adrien-and-Marinette centric, it would have felt out of place. Anyway, in case anyone was curious, just imagine that happened somewhere outside these chapters. Lol.
> 
> Next chapter: Adrien sees his mother and father (not at the same time).
> 
> Favorite part of this fic so far?
> 
> How do you think the next chapter is going to go, or how do you think this story is going to end? (It's already written!)
> 
> Questions, thoughts, suggestions?


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien talks with his mother, then with his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter starts on the same day as where the previous chapter ended, taking off from the same point. Adrien and Marinette are on their way to see if his mother is awake at Master Fu's shop. Later in the chapter, Adrien visits his father in jail.
> 
> Except for brief appearances in the last two chapters, this is the last we'll see of Adrien's parents, so the parent arc will mostly close here (brief resolution in the next chapter, too). If you're looking for smut, that's in Chapter 25. Two more chapters after this!

**Day +8** :

Marinette and Adrien had never traveled faster.  The scarlet hero even found it difficult to keep pace with her kitty for once.  People on the ground barely saw a blur of black and red pass by, unable to glimpse either form long enough to recognize the owners.

When they reached the alley behind the shop and detransformed, however, Adrien’s nervousness overtook him, and he stood in front of the main door for several seconds, knob in his hand, hesitating to open it, afraid of what he would find.  Marinette placed her hand over his, waiting until his gaze found hers.

“It’s ok, Minou.  Together.”

With a unified grip, they turned the handle and pushed the door inside, sliding aside a privacy screen to enter the room where Emilie was laid.  When they crossed the threshold, however, Adrien’s shoulders visibly slumped as he took in his mother’s sleeping form.

Master Fu was suddenly behind them, neither having seen nor heard him approach.

“Do not despair, Chat Noir.  Your mother is only _sleeping_.  She is very tired, and in need of much rest after her ordeal.”

Adrien took in the sight of Master Fu, shock and confusion clearly written all over his face.

“I assure you, young man, she was conscious earlier this morning for a brief period of time, and has only recently fallen back to sleep.  But it is _sleep_ , this time, and she will wake again, if you wish to wait.”

Adrien nodded, incapable of speech, and took a seat on the floor near his mother’s head.  Reaching out a shaking hand, he cautiously stroked her hair, retracting his hand in surprise at how soft it was.  Determined, he resumed his previous action as Marinette took a place beside him.

When Emilie’s eyelids fluttered under the attention, he nearly stopped breathing, and as they opened and took in his face, he exhaled deep and long.

“ _Mother_.”  It came out as a whisper, and she blinked languidly, most likely somewhere in the limbo between wakefulness and dreaming.  Finally, she cocked her head delicately, seemingly to recognize the person in front of her.

“Adrien?”  He nodded, unable to hold back tears.  “But... you look so old, my kitten. What happened to you?”  

He laughed as he cried.  “Mother, you’ve been sleeping for a really long time.”  She seemed confused, but accepted it anyway.

“Where is your father?”

Adrien stilled, unsure of how to answer that question.

“He’s fine, he’s just occupied at the moment.”  Then, after a pause: “A lot has happened since you’ve been asleep.  When you’re ready, I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Ok, dear,” she murmured, eyes closing as she was lulled back to sleep.

Adrien clung to Marinette, letting his sobs overtake him, relieved beyond measure or description.  There was no telling what kind of long-term effects Emilie might still suffer from, but she was alive, she was _awake_ , and there was nothing that could take this happiness away from him.  Marinette held him close, caressing the side of his face as he finally pulled back to look at her through swollen, red eyes.

“I think your mother is going to be fine, Minou.  She just needs some rest. Maybe we should come back when she has more energy and is more aware.”

The man in front of her nodded.  “You’re right, princess. Let’s go home.”

* * *

 **Day +11** :

Adrien paced around Master Fu’s lounge, listening as the subtle sounds of low voices carried out of from behind the privacy screen.

His mother was awake, had been off and on for the last 2 or 3 days, and he was hoping to finally have a real, sustained conversation with her that didn’t end with her falling back to sleep in the middle of a sentence.

Not that he wanted to push his mother- he felt guilty at the inner need he had to get as much from her as he could, well aware that she was on a precarious road to recovery, and may never make it back to being her old carefree, energetic self.

Marinette sat on a mat nearby, silently supportive in his emotional turmoil.  Then, the screen was drawn back, and Master Fu emerged. Toward the back of the room, Adrien could glimpse a blonde woman resting on a low mattress, seated upright and leaning her back against a wall.

The green of her eyes pierced his heart.

Adrien’s breath caught in his throat as Master Fu held out an arm, indicating for him to pass into the room.  Slowly, he took a step forward, almost hesitating, afraid to do anything that would shatter the dreamworld, make him wake up and realize he was still in his father’s mansion, having a tortuously realistic nightmare-fantasy.

Then Marinette was at his side, silently encouraging as always as she gripped his trembling hand and waited for him to move forward.

As they passed through the doorway, Adrien drew a deep breath, holding onto it as though he needed it to keep his mother from disappearing again.  When he felt Marinette’s hand rub soothing circles on his back, he slowly released it.

Before he knew he had even moved, they were at her side, coming to rest on the mattress near her.  Adrien’s eyes bore into hers, searching desperately for a sign that she was real, that she was alive, that she was truly _here_.

As though reading his thoughts, she tilted her head and smiled fondly at her son, reaching out her feeble arms in an attempt to draw him into her embrace.  Without further prodding, he practically launched himself at her, wrapping his own arms around her middle and, barely remembering to treat her with the utmost care, let them envelop her loosely, afraid of causing her any injury or pain.

“Oh, my kitten,” she cooed, hand stroking his hair affectionately.  “It’s all right. I’m here.”

It took all of Adrien’s willpower not to fall apart in her embrace and sob all over her frail form.  Instead, he drew back slowly, taking in the pallor of her face, the dark circles under her eyes, the weakness of her thin limbs- somewhat atrophic from 5 years of little to no movement.

“Mother,” he gasped, finding it hard to breathe as she looked at him with that love in her eyes.  He missed seeing that expression on her face, forgot even what it looked like.

“Kitten, it’s ok, I’m going to be ok- mostly.  I’m sorry I haven’t been able to stay awake for you.  Your kind Master Fu has told me so much about you, though.  Now, are you going to introduce me to the beautiful young lady, or have you forgotten the manners I taught you?” she asked quietly, smiling playfully, though it lacked energy.

“Of course! Oh my God, of course.  Mother, this is Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.  She’s my girlfriend.” When he spoke that final word, he glanced over at the noirette beside him, completely in awe of how lucky he was to have her at his side.

Then he looked back at his mother, a fond, knowing expression on her face.  Adrien blushed faintly, composing himself before continuing.

“We go to lycée together, both almost graduated.  She’s so brilliant, mother, I can’t wait until you see how amazing she is.  She’s wonderful, and kind, and talented. She designs and makes her own clothes, and she-”  Adrien cut himself off, aware that he was beginning to ramble, then smiled sheepishly. “She’s, uh, she’s amazing, maman.”  He looked back at Marinette again, taking her hand in his. “I can’t wait for you two to get to know each other.”

A light chuckle escaped the blonde woman as she watched the couple.  “She seems like it. A mother can always tell. And her clothes are so well made- your father must love her,” she added wistfully.

Marinette and Adrien both stilled, a fact which did not go unnoticed by Emilie.

“Adrien?” she questioned.  He looked at her through wide eyes.  “What don’t I know about your father?”  The blond man gulped.

“Actually, mother, that’s a really long story, and I don’t want to overwhelm you today.  I promise, when you have more energy, I’ll tell you everything.”

A sadness overtook Emilie’s demeanor.  Almost in a whisper, she said, “Adrien, please, tell me where he is.”

The two partners shared a look.

“He’s, uh, he’s been detained for a while about some legal matters, and I’m not sure when we can see him.  Please, mother, that’s all I can really say for now. Just trust me on this.”

Emilie looked like she wanted to argue, but her exhaustion was already overtaking her again.  She reached out a tired hand to grab onto his own.

“Alright, kitten.  I trust you,” she said, her eyes drifting closed.

Adrien pressed a kiss to his mother’s forehead.

“I love you, maman,” he said, and they watched silently as her breath evened out into sleep before rising and taking their leave.

* * *

 **Day +15** :

The door slammed shut behind him, clanging so loudly it made Adrien jump.  Marinette grabbed his hand reassuringly, and they began the trek down the long, cold hallway.

At the end, there was a heavy metal door, with only a small, reinforced window to see through, and on the other side, there was a grate of metal protecting the already strong glass.

Squeezing his hand, Marinette said, “I’m going to wait here, give you some privacy.  If you need to get out of there, don’t even hesitate. I’ll be waiting for you when you’re done.”

Adrien pressed a solid kiss to her lips, holding it for a few seconds.

“I love you,” he said, pulling back, bringing her hand up to cup his face.

“I love you, too, Minou.”

She turned to sit on a nearby chair as Adrien turned to face the door.  A buzz sounded, and a guard opened it to allow him inside the room. Adrien took a seat at the table in the middle.

He sat there for a few minutes before there was a buzz, and a second door on the opposite wall opened, allowing inside a handcuffed Gabriel Agreste.  He look weathered, unkempt, nothing like the man Adrien knew. Subtle discoloration and swelling from Chat Noir’s hit lingered on the area surrounding Gabriel’s cheekbone.  His hair was somehow whiter, and his face had many more wrinkles and lines than Adrien remembered. In all, he just looked so much _older_.

Gabriel’s expression  was guarded and bitter.  When he sat, his posture was stiff, as was his voice.

“Adrien,” he greeted.  It appeared at least _some_ things hadn’t changed.

“Father,” the younger man replied, similarly cautious.  They sat there for a few moments in the deafening silence that followed.

“Is there a reason you asked to see me today?” the ex-villain finally ventured.

“Yes.  There are some things I want to discuss with you.”

“As it seems you have me as a _captive audience_ , then what exactly are you waiting for?”

“Well, I guess we should start with the smaller issues.  Your company is floundering, and I’ve been asked to take the helm in your... absence.”  Gabriel rolled his eyes at the euphemism. That was a first. “Anyway,” Adrien continued, “I wanted your opinion because I honestly couldn’t care less what happens to your company, and I know you couldn’t care less about however many employees who stuck around and will be out of a job, but if it means something to you to keep the business going, then I will step in and act as its figurehead.  Temporarily.” He stopped, waiting for a response.

Gabriel looked down at his bound hands.  “What does it matter? None of it is worth anything without your mother.  She’s gone. You made sure of that.” Adrien did his best to ignore the deep pain that struck his heart at his father’s words.  Did Adrien mean nothing to him? Did he ever love Adrien at all?

“Perhaps I should have begun there, then.”  Gabriel’s head shot up at the tone in his voice, expression seemingly afraid to hope.  “Mother is alive.”

Gabriel measured his son’s face.  “I’m aware she’s alive. I’ve been keeping her alive for 5 years.  What does that mean?”

“It, uh... I’m saying, mother’s _alive_ .  Not whatever you’ve been doing for her all this time.  She’s _awake_ .  I’ve seen her.  I’ve spoken to her.  Mother’s _alive_.”

For the first time Adrien could ever remember, there were tears in his father’s eyes, his jaw hanging open in helpless muteness.  Overcome by the sight, Adrien looked down into his lap.

“I haven’t told her anything about all the things that have happened.  I don’t think she’s ready for that yet. But she’s going to find out very soon.”  His gaze returned to his father’s visage, which was suddenly flushed.

“I’m not what you would call proud of the things I’ve done, but I did it for her, and for you.  You don’t have to understand, or to agree, but I stand by my decisions. And I accept the consequences of them.”

Silence reigned for a minute or two.

“But..." his voice was small now, so unlike the looming figure of intimidation he usually embodied.  “How?”

Adrien’s gaze didn’t waver.  “ _Magic_ healed her, no akumas required.  If you had sought out help instead of resolving to destroy everything in your quest for control, we _might_ have been able to avoid the last 5 years.  And however much time they condemn you to spend locked up in this place.”  He looked around the room mournfully, eyes eventually coming to rest on the face of the man in front of him.  As a child and even a teenager, his father always seemed so tall, so imposing, sometimes even frightening. Now he just looked small, hunching in on himself, thinner than usual, dirty and wearing a prison uniform.  It pained his heart to see so magisterial a man laid so low, even if it was his own doing.

“If I had known..." Gabriel’s voice, much more frail than usual, trailed off.  Even though he spent the last 5 years trying to change the past, he was never one to dwell on it.  “It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. I hope your mother will be as healthy and perfect as she always was very soon.  I don’t think she will forgive me, but tell her I love her, anyway. That everything I did was because I couldn’t accept living in a world without her.”  Gabriel made to stand, but Adrien’s voice stopped him.

“Father, wait-”

Half way up from his seat, the man stopped, slowly returning to his previous position.

“You would have done anything for mother.  I know that. You would have done... _anything_.”  He let the word speak for itself.

Gabriel searched the tabletop in front of him as if it could give him the words.  He didn’t raise his head when he responded.

“Yes, I would have done anything.  There was a time when, not knowing who you were, I would have... I wouldn’t have enjoyed it, but I would have killed Chat Noir and Ladybug if I had to.”

Adrien wasn’t sure how his face looked, but even though he felt a bit shocked at actually hearing the words, he knew already that they were true.  He had the nightmares to prove it.

“You love her that much.”  Gabriel nodded, still not looking at his son.  Adrien had a hard time judging him for that. If he were in a similar position with Marinette, could he conceive of himself as resorting to the same desperate measures?  He’d never know, but Adrien wasn’t so sure he could say with complete confidence he would never do such a thing. He would move heaven and earth to get back to her if she was ever taken from him.

Gabriel rose from his chair, conversation clearly over for the broken man.  Adrien watched his father walk to the door, then wait, shackled, for a guard to let him through.  Before he passed under the frame, though, he turned one last time to his son. “For whatever it’s worth, I love you, too, Adrien.”

When Adrien broke down into his hands, his father was already gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: The end of Hawkmoth's trial is emotional for everyone.
> 
> Like I said at the beginning note, there's some major smut coming up in the next chapter, so if that isn't you're thing, I'll mark the place where it starts and ends so you can skip over it. Other than that, the story's almost at an end! I'm generally really satisfied with the outcome, considering I started this story literally a month ago, and already completed it.
> 
> Favorite part of the fic so far?
> 
> Anything particularly move you, or the opposite- felt awkward?
> 
> Can you guess how it's going to end?
> 
> Questions, thoughts, suggestions? I love comments! :)
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with me this far :))


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawkmoth's trial has reached a tempestuous end, and Adrien and Marinette help each other deal with the emotional fallout.
> 
> PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE IF YOU DON'T LIKE EXPLICIT CONTENT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here! The second to last chapter, I can't believe it! There is explicit content in this chapter, as I warned before, but it's marked so you can skip it if that bothers you. It's separated by a horizontal line, even though the day doesn't change. This chapter is cut into three sections. The beginning and the end are not explicit; the middle is. It's indented extra, too.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has stayed with me throughout the story! I'm just gonna include this disclaimer right now: I'm not at all familiar with how the legal system works; that's part of the reason I don't write much of the actual trial, but I did my best and tried to approach it from a logical perspective.

**Day +109** :

Hawkmoth’s trial was the most infamous one of the century.  All of Paris hated its once esteemed citizen, so much so that there were multiple attempts to assassinate Gabriel while he was in custody.  Because of the circumstances, he was placed in a secure, isolated facility specifically built for him, location undisclosed to the public. Chat Noir and Ladybug were forced, for the most part, to bear witness to the tumult in impartial silence, only voicing disapproval of people attempting to take the law into their own hands, not commenting otherwise or emotionally responding to the situation.  But inside, Adrien and Marinette were shattered.

Adrien struggled as he watched the news reports every time someone made an attempt on his father’s life.  He felt helpless as the authorities were obligated to classify Gabriel’s case and move him to a secure facility.  After that, Adrien could no longer visit him, and would not be able to see him at all until the trial started.

The security surrounding the trial itself was extreme.  No one knew exactly where it was held, and jurors were kept in sequester, shuttled back and forth in vehicles that were blacked out from the inside, between the building where the proceedings took place, and their accommodations.  Selecting the jury alone took months, as it was impossible to find a single individual without bias against the villain.

The public did get to view the trial, but from the safety of a television screen.  News stations and publications were banned from attending due to the exceptional circumstances, and were not notified of the proceedings’ location, either.  Coverage was recorded by the facility itself and transmitted live to television stations.

It took weeks to sift through the evidence, too.  Hawkmoth technically left none behind, so other than his defeat at the hands of Ladybug and Chat Noir, there was very little concrete proof of his activities.  No one could ever prove Nathalie’s involvement, and Gabriel refused to admit she helped him in any way. There were no other witnesses to him acting as the villain, so the defense case was relatively strong, from a legal standpoint.

Of course, no one would doubt Ladybug and Chat Noir’s word, but there was still the issue of providing physical proof of the man’s wrongdoing, and holding onto your wife’s comatose body didn’t qualify as evidence of anything other than psychosis, though it doubled as the prosecution’s motive.  Even security footage at the mansion only recorded Gabriel coming and going from his secret lair, but never provided any video of him in full villain guise, much less doing anything _illegal_.  Ladybug and Chat Noir refused to hand over the butterfly miraculous as well, knowing full well an object like that would not last a day in an evidence room without disappearing again.

The facts the prosecution rested on were entirely dependent on Ladybug and Chat Noir’s testimony.  The heroes fought with him, took his miraculous, and restrained him until police arrived. Without other witnesses, Hawkmoth’s lawyer argued, no one could really say whether the heroes didn’t make up the whole thing, though of course, there was no reason for them to do so.  Still, not even injuries were left after the altercation, because of Ladybug’s miraculous cure, except for the fractured cheek Gabriel suffered.

The entire length of the trial, Gabriel sat silently in his seat, never lifting his eyes above the table in front of him.  When proceedings reached a close, the jury was excused to deliberate the accused criminal’s fate, and the process was taking a surprisingly long time.  Every authority figure, citizen, and observer was astounded when the deliberation phase stretched out into its second day. While every juror _knew_ what Gabriel had done, they had a somewhat difficult time convicting him with so little _proof_.  So, they went round and round in circles.

Adrien was permitted to attend the announcement of the verdict, chauffeured in an armored, nondescript vehicle that took a winding, convoluted route, extending the trip from what should have been less than two hours, to nearly 4.  Authorities were taking no chances. Finally, it was announced the jury had reached a consensus. Adrien made his way into the room, nearly devoid of people who weren’t obligated to be there. He walked slowly, hand holding tightly to the small, feminine one clinging to his arm.

As the judge entered the room, everyone stood.  Gabriel, though still not raising his eyes, stood as well, waiting to hear his fate.  Once the official had taken his seat, everyone in the room did the same. It bothered Adrien for weeks- _months_ how his father had refused to comment at all on his charges- his crimes.  He allowed his lawyer to speak entirely for him, never acknowledging anyone who addressed him unless required.  When it came time for his defense, he himself offered nothing. Adrien hoped in the beginning that his father would show that there was a sliver of good left in him, that he would _truly_ accept his consequences as he said he would.  He suspected, however, that it was his father’s pride which kept him from explicitly acknowledging himself as _guilty_ , that and his lawyer’s belief Gabriel could walk free in months instead of, well, possibly ever.

Adrien watched as though in a dream, his steps slow and heavy as he approached a row of empty chairs.  Gabriel was instructed to rise again as the jury was about to announce the verdict. As the tired man stood, no longer towering above the multitude but hanging his head low, the woman beside Adrien whispered shakily into the fragile silence.

“ _Gabriel_.”

Immediately, the white-blond’s head whipped around, catching not one pair of viridian eyes, but _two_.  Jaw open, the former villain gaped at the two blonds behind him- one a tall, young male; the other a tired-looking, but nonetheless beautiful, woman.

“ _Emilie_ ,” he breathed, reeling from seeing his wife awake and responsive for the first time in more than 5 years.

Adrien and Emilie slowly found two seats, but Gabriel’s eyes never left them.  As he looked from his wife to his son, the younger man noticed tears pooling in his father’s eyes.  Gabriel looked at his wife again, aching to reach out and touch her after having been deprived of her warmth for so long.  The woman stared back, sadness and regret written all over her face. Gabriel gulped, then quickly turned to his lawyer, whispering feverishly, though quietly.  The judge watched them curiously. It was the first time anyone had seen the man making any attempt to communicate without first being solicited.

After a moment, the lawyer looked (notably unhappily) at the judge.

“Your honor, my client wishes to make a statement.”

The judge narrowed his eyes.

“We’re about to hear the jury’s verdict, counselor, just what do you think you client has to say that it isn’t too late for them to hear?”

“Well, he..." the lawyer trailed off, clearly detesting the words that were about to come out of his mouth.  “My client would like to change his plea, your honor. He wishes to plead guilty.”

The judge’s eyes flew to Gabriel, surprise clearly visible in them.  Adrien’s jaw dropped.

“Is this true, Monsieur Agreste?” he asked, still somewhat dubious.

Gabriel paused for a moment, turning again to look at the woman behind him.  She gave him a small smile and nod.

For the first time since his arrest, Gabriel stood tall, meeting the judge’s gaze unwaveringly.

“Yes, your honor,” he replied.  “I do. I wish to plead guilty.”

The judge sat back, having scooted to the edge of his seat without even realizing it, expression of shock unchecked.

“And have you, counselor, advised your client of the consequences of his decision?”

The suited man swallowed.  “Yes, your honor.”

In an almost thoughtless murmur, the man uttered, “Well, I’ll be damned.”  He sat forward once again, finally regaining his composure.

“Very well, Monsieur Agreste.  Let the record state that Gabriel Agreste has changed his plea to guilty on all charges.  Due to the nature of your crimes, this court sentences you to 20 years in prison with the possibility of release after 10.  Please take the defendant into custody, where he will await transport to a secure facility where he may serve out the remainder of his sentence.  This court is adjourned.”

The sound of gavel on wood was louder than the quiet murmur that came from the scant individuals in attendance.  The jury was released, being led almost soundlessly toward the transportation that would take them back to Paris.  As Gabriel was led away, he turned to face his wife and son, catching both their gazes with his own. Adrien watched as his father gave him a single nod, then turned and allowed the court officer to escort him out of the room.  Concerned, he looked at his mother, who was still holding on to him for support.

“Mother, are you all right?”

The small blonde woman dropped her gaze to her lap, nodding mournfully.

“I’m sorry that it came to this,” she said quietly.

Adrien wrapped his arm more tightly around her shoulders, resting his chin atop her bowed head.

“So am I.”

* * *

When Gabriel changed his plea, everyone watching through television simultaneously stopped breathing, then cheered in unison.  All across Paris, across France, there was a joint celebration of the official end of Hawkmoth’s reign.

Though relieved by his father’s decision, Adrien could not partake in the celebration.  It was a painful reality, knowing what he knew about the entire ordeal- knowing what it cost him and his lady to get to this moment.  He did not mourn that his father would be in jail for at least a decade, but that it had to come to this at all.

The rest of world would never know about all the failures of the past, and Adrien and Marinette agreed not to share that knowledge with anyone, not even their family or friends.  It would do no one any good, and it would only cause deeper anger and pain.

Marinette watched from the comfort of her parents’ living room, kept company by both of them as well as Nino and Alya.  When Gabriel changed his plea, everyone in the room looked around at each other, speechless from surprise. They couldn’t find it in themselves to rejoice, either.

When Adrien arrived home, it was late in the evening, and Marinette was no longer at her parents’ home, but at their own- a comfortable, quaint two-bedroom apartment close to the bakery.  Opening the door, he found her seated at the kitchen table, a mug of hot tea nestled between her hands. She rose as he walked toward her, throwing her arms around his neck as soon as he was within her reach and squeezing him tightly.

“I love you,” was all she said, knowing what he needed to hear was affection and reassurance, not questions of whether he was ok or not- she already knew he wasn’t.

“I love you,” he responded, eyes closed as he tucked his face into her shoulder and inhaled her scent.  Just the smell of her brought him comfort.

Marinette waited for him to pull back on his own, but kept her hands on his shoulders.  Adrien raised a hand to caress the side of her cheek, eyes red and face blotchy. She didn’t resist as he surged forward and caught her lips with his own, nor when he wrapped a hand around her waist, backing her toward the living room and onto the couch without releasing her mouth.

She lay beneath him, welcoming his kisses, needing only to provide him with any comfort she could.  As the intensity of his actions increased, she found herself struggling to keep up. Then, all of a sudden, he broke away, laying his forehead against her shoulder as his body began to wrack with sobs.  It wasn’t an uncommon scene over the last few months, and Marinette softly ran her fingers through his hair, cradling his head against her as she whispered softly in his ear, waiting for the storm to pass.

It took several minutes, but Adrien’s breathing finally slowed to an almost normal rate, still shuddering now and then against her chest as his limbs collapsed beneath him, and the full weight of his body lay atop her.  She didn’t complain, didn’t cease her stroking of his hair.

“It’s ok, Minou.  I’m here. It’s going to be ok.”

Adrien tightened his lax hold on her.

“How was your mother feeling today?  Any better?” she asked.

Ever since Emilie awoke, she struggled some with strength and energy.  Master Fu warned it could take months, or even years for her to reach a normal level, or it may never get to that point.  Marinette proposed asking her to live with them, but for the meantime, Master Fu decided it was best if she stayed at his shop so he could continue to work with her at restoring her energy- both spiritual and physical.  So, for the time being, that was where she stayed.

“She has good days and bad,” he uttered solemnly.  “Today she seemed to feel relatively well, physically speaking.”

Marinette nodded silently, taking in the vibration of his voice as it hummed against her body.  

Adrien raised his head to look into her eyes.  As she watched, he drew closer until there was no space between them, her eyes staying open until the very last second as he pressed his lips against hers.

* * *

 

 

 

> It started out slow and sweet, but as Marinette ran her tongue along his lips, Adrien’s enthusiasm increased exponentially.  He opened his mouth for her, drawing in her breath, tasting her tongue, her lips, seeking to dive deeper and deeper as though consuming her gave him life.
> 
> Marinette reached up higher, no longer stroking his hair, but grasping it desperately, heat pooling between her legs as she felt the evidence of Adrien’s arousal against her groin.  Instinctually, she rocked her hips, undulating against his lower body as he moaned in response, inundated with thoughts of _her_ and _want_ and _love_ and _mine_.
> 
> Adrien’s hands ran restlessly over her sides, indecisively alternating between grabbing her hips, her breasts, her ass, before impatiently yanking on the hem of her shirt, then pulling away to nearly wrench it over her head.  Marinette returned the favor, practically ripping the buttons off his shirt in her attempt to remove it from his body as quickly as physically possible.
> 
> With a hand behind her back, he lifted her up and crashed their lips together, unclasping her bra in one fluid movement, pulling it down her arms and tossing it away without concern for where it landed.  His lips traveled down her face and neck, lower and lower. Adrien stopped first to show attention to her breasts, nuzzling and kissing them as Marinette cradled his head in hands, lost in the pleasurable sensation of him worshipping her body.  As he moved down the middle of her stomach, his hands played lightly with her nipples, tweaking them teasingly, then migrating down to the button of her pants. The muscles in her abdomen twitched and contracted in response to his attentions, and he unfastened her jeans, pulling the waistband down for better access to her lower abdomen and hips.  There was a distinct wetness developing at her core.
> 
> “ _Mmm… Adrien~_ ”
> 
> At the sound of his name being moaned in such a sinful way, the blond returned to his partner’s face, massaging and sucking on her lips and tongue with his own, increasing the volume of her groans.  Marinette’s fingers ran through his hair, leaving it in an even messier state than when he was in the suit. Adrien’s hand drifted south, toying once again with the waist of her pants as she rocked her hips up in contact with his palm.
> 
> Smirking, he broke away and, using both hands, began tugging her jeans slowly down her legs.  Marinette watched him, nearly undone from the sight, as he maintained eye contact, following the trail of his hands with his mouth, placing open-mouth kisses on her hips, her thighs, the insides of her knees.
> 
> When her pants were on the floor, he stopped for a moment to take in the sight of her laid out before him.  
> 
> “ _You’re so beautiful, Marinette_ ,” he whispered as he drew closer to her, stopping as his mouth hovered over her core.  With a mischievous glint in his eye, Adrien kissed her core over the fabric of her soaking panties.  Reflexively, Marinette’s head fell back, the feeling too much and not enough, her hand resuming its place entwined within his golden locks.  When she didn’t feel anything more, she glanced back down to find him watching her, then without warning, his nipped at her inner thigh.
> 
> There was nothing Marinette could do to stop the deep groan that escaped her throat.  Adrien kissed the demesnes adjacent to her legs, avoiding the place she needed him most until she was nearly a sobbing mess.
> 
> “ _Ohh, Adrien, please~_ ”
> 
> She could have been mistaken, but she thought she heard a raspy chuckle escape from the man between her legs.
> 
> “ _As you wish, princess_.”
> 
> Then there was the sensation of cool air against her core as Adrien hooked a finger on the center of her panties and drew them tortuously slowly down her legs.  Once they were entirely removed, Adrien grabbed each of her knees, spreading her legs wider. The coolness of the air both chilled and thrilled her, and she shuddered in anticipation.
> 
> The first feeling she identified was _wet_ as his tongue drew a long, firm stripe up the center of her slit, beginning at her entrance and ending at her clit.  The moan Marinette released was positively debauched.
> 
> She couldn’t help the way her fingers tugged tightly on Adrien’s hair, couldn’t be bothered enough to care.  She knew if she hurt him in any way, he would let her know. The naked noirette panted and moaned above him as Adrien eagerly ate her out, tongue and lips exploring the folds of her core, the swollen nub at the apex, and the insides of her entrance.  Marinette let out a muffled scream as he gave her clit a particularly hard suck, dissipating into a needy whimper as he released her bundle of nerves and fucked her with his tongue.
> 
> Adrien groaned against her, causing vibrations to run up her body and make her shiver.  She felt constantly close to the edge, nearly falling over it multiple times as he recognized the signs and changed his technique to prolong her pleasure.  Now, though, sensing her orgasm was near, he resumed his assault on her clit, sliding two fingers inside of her, curled slightly upward and stroking the walls of her core.  It was mere minutes before Marinette fell apart and came in his mouth, nearly screaming in pleasure, her limbs and body losing all resistance against the force of gravity and falling listlessly at her sides.
> 
> As she lay there, boneless, on the couch, Adrien crawled up her body, chin glistening with her juices before he wiped it with the back of his hand.  Through a heavily lidded gaze, Marinette could see the untempered desire burning in his eyes, and he began kissing her neck and shoulders softly, waiting for her to gain control over her body once again.
> 
> The featherlight sensations of his lips on her skin gave her goosebumps, and she gained enough strength back into her arms to pull his face upward, kissing him full on the mouth, still able to taste herself as she flicked her tongue against his own.  Their bodies were flush against each other, and she became acutely aware of the erection that was still straining his pants, which he had yet to remove.
> 
> Without letting go of his lips, she reached down to unfasten Adrien’s belt and pants, pushing them insistently down his legs as he rose up higher to help her.  As he drew back to take them off, however, she followed his body, placing enthusiastic kisses over his chest and abs, teasing his nipples as his head fell back, hands reaching absentmindedly for her hair.
> 
> Marinette worked her way down the front of his body, giving him equal attention that he gave to her, snapping the band of his underwear in a way that startled him, prompting her to chuckle deviously.  As she lifted the band over his erection, Marinette leaned down and licked the tip of it, causing Adrien to moan in response and cant his hips upward helplessly.
> 
> Pushing his shoulders back, she forced him to lay down on the couch, then grabbed onto his hips to hold them in place as she began to tease him, placing soft kisses on his arousal, sometimes licking the folds surrounding the head, sometimes taking the tip between her lips and sucking lightly.
> 
> Precum mixed with her own saliva as Marinette took him in her mouth, lowering it down as far as she could until his head was colliding with the back of her throat.  Adrien groaned long and deep, overcome by the sensation. Satisfied at his reaction, she alternated between deep strokes and shallow ones, using her dominant hand to wrap around the part of his length that she couldn’t fit, and the other to tease at his balls, rolling them carefully in her fingers.
> 
> Adrien grasped desperately at Marinette’s hair, canting his hips up to meet her mouth without forcing her to take more of him than she was could comfortably.  She could feel his erection becoming harder, the pulse of his dick in her mouth increasing with every pass. Just as her jaw was beginning to get tired, he muttered,
> 
> “ _Ahh, Marinette, stop.  I’m gonna-_ ” and she let him go with a wet pop.
> 
> She shifted her position higher, bringing her face closer to his, and Adrien immediately crashed her mouth against his, tongues battling for dominance as they became inextricably intertwined with each other.  Letting go of her body with one hand, he reached down to his pants on the floor, extracting a condom from his wallet and ripping it open quickly. Marinette pulled back long enough to let him properly apply it, then resumed her assault on his mouth, raising up slightly on her knees to position her core above his pelvis.
> 
> Taking him in hand, she directed the tip of his erection at her entrance, fully lubricated by her own orgasm, and slowly slid down.  The two let out simultaneous groans as their bodies became indistinguishable from one another. Sitting fully upright, Marinette slowly rocked her hips in a circular path, watching Adrien’s face intently as his eyes became lidded, the muscles in his chest tense, and his hands gripping frenetically at her hips.  Slowly, sensuously, she undulated on top of him, focusing on the sensation of the hard fullness of him inside of her, of the friction of his pelvis against her clit, of his fingernails digging into her skin, his breathless moans and gasps as she took them both closer to the precipice of pleasure.
> 
> “ _Marinette,_ ” Adrien panted.  “ _Tell me you love me.  Tell me you’re mine_.”
> 
> She didn’t even stop moving, looking into his eyes as she murmured, voice and limbs shaking, “ _I’m yours, Adrien.  All yours. All of me.  I love you_.”
> 
> “ _I’m yours, my lady.  I love you. Always._ ”
> 
> Adrien met her every movement, rocking his own hips against her, drawing out from inside of her as she raised up, then pounding back into her as she sank down again.  No longer holding onto his chest, Marinette raised her hands to her own hair, lifting it off her neck, her forearms crossed loosely underneath the tresses as she threw her head back, never ceasing the pace of her movement.
> 
> The closer she felt to another climax, the faster they both moved, until she was bouncing rapidly on Adrien’s erection, looking for that moment of release, nearly wailing in rapture.  Adrien lost all sense of rhythm, frantically hammering up into her core as his face scrunched tightly.
> 
> “ _Ahhh- Marinette- my lady, yes, fuck me harder!_ ”
> 
> “ _Mmmm, Adrien, yes!  Ooooh, come for me, Minou!_ ”
> 
> Then the ocean was crashing over them, and white spots took over Marinette’s vision, every nerve in her body afire, every inch of her skin tingling in delight as she left out a final, wordless scream of ecstasy.
> 
> Adrien grunted from the sensation of her muscles clenching around him, panting as he emptied into the condom, only slowing his pace as the last remnants of cum ejaculated into the latex.  Marinette remained above him, catching her breath as she came down from her high, then drew slowly off of him and nestled herself by his side. Before long, Adrien found the energy to rise up and dispose of the condom, but returned immediately to cuddle up next to her on the couch.  Both of them were too tired for the time being to care that it wasn’t quite big enough for two people. Reaching up, Adrien pulled the throw from the back of the couch to cover them and provide some warmth against the chilliness of the air.
> 
> As Marinette sighed contently into his neck, Adrien kissed her shoulder, causing her to shiver slightly.  With a matching smile of contentment, he wrapped his arms around her tighter, pulling her even closer against his body, and they drifted off the sleep in each other’s arms.

 

* * *

 **Day +167** :

Summer was on its last legs.  Spring, though somewhat cold and long, particularly because it took up a large part of Gabriel’s trial, eventually gave way to sunlight and blossoms, which quickly ushered in the heat, and along with it, Marinette and Adrien’s graduation from school.  By the time Gabriel finally pled guilty, summer had already arrived, but two whirlwind months later, and it was nearly over. Soft breezes blew a chill into the air. Nights turned colder, shorts became less common on public streets, and people began layering their clothes to account for the warmth of the midday day sun and the cool of the evening.

Marinette and Adrien ambled slowly along, hand in hand, stopping briefly in front of the carousel by the Eiffel Tower.  The summer tourists were mostly gone, and months after the scandal of Gabriel’s secret coming to light, Adrien was finally free to venture outdoors without worrying about being approached every few meters.  It still happened on occasion, but the novelty of the debacle had worn off, and he could largely breathe and walk in peace.

The two sat side by side on a bench, each nursing a warm cup of tea to help heat up their cold fingers, internally musing about the events of the day.  Their kwamis huddled in Marinette’s purse, munching on cookies and Camembert. Suddenly, Adrien broke the comfortable silence.

“You know you’re it for me, right, Marinette?”

The girl in question looked abruptly over at her companion, somewhat taken aback by his awkwardly worded statement.

“Um, yes?  I don’t follow.”

Adrien gulped audibly.

“I mean, like, there’s never going to be anyone else that I ever want to be with.  Ever. You’re the only one I want. I want to be with you... for the rest of my life.”

Marinette sat, staring at him, dumbstruck.  She always knew they both felt this way about each other, that feeling of having found their soulmate, but neither of them had really said it in so many words.

“I mean, we never really talked about it, you know?” Adrien continued, trying not to ramble.  “It’s just, I just wanted you to know that, so that, one day, it won’t be a surprise if... I propose to you.”

Adrien’s face turned scarlet.  Marinette looked amused. He watched her apprehensively, as though afraid that she would laugh at his disastrous attempt to proclaim his eternal love.

She cradled his cheek in her hand.

“Minou, you know you’re the only one for me.”  He let out a breath, relieved. “I only want you, too.  Forever.” The smile she gave him was crooked, bordering on a chuckle, but entirely fond, and entirely loving.

“And if I were to ask you to marry me..." he trailed off, still slightly insecure.

“I would say yes,” she finished for him, overcome by love for her silly kitten.

He turned to face the carousel again, anxiety melting from his body.

“But..." Marinette added, and he turned back to her, mild panic written on his face.  “Who’s to say I won’t ask you first?”

The grin that took over both their expressions was so wide, it almost hurt.

“Anything you want, my lady.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope all you sinners enjoyed the smut. There was originally a lot more dirty talk, but I took most of it out during the editing phase because I figured, maybe not a lot of people share my kink. Anywayys- one more chapter! The conclusion is coming (ha- see what I did there?). Alas, that's the last actual smut of the story, but there's some sin coming up in the last chapter (because of course!).
> 
> If I had to reflect on a favorite moment from the story, I'd probably pick Sabine discovering Marinette's secret, or the timeline when Adrien found out his father was Hawkmoth and told Ladybug. There are others, but those come first to mind. What about you? Anything favorite?
> 
> I'm already working on ideas for future fics. If I wrote them, would you be interested in reading them? I'm always curious about how flexible people are with ships. Most of the time, if it's done right, I can get behind it, even if it breaks the love square. I mean, at this point, the only real canon ship is DJWifi, amiright? 
> 
> Anyway, ok- let me know what you think in the comments!


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette get their happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got impatient and decided to give this to you all already :D. I hope everyone likes it!
> 
> Note: there's sin, but no smut.

**Day +362** :

 

 **_Attention, my little chatbugs!  I have some major news in store!  If you’re a true lover of our favorite heroes, and a true shipper of LadyNoir, then be at the Eiffel Tower Friday night by a quarter to 22:00!  This is top secret, though! I can’t say much to avoid word getting back to a certain hero, but be advised, there will be something major going down, and we need your help!  I promise it will be an_ ** **engaging** **_experience!  This is not a drill!_ **

**_See you there, Paris_ **

**_Your favorite Ladyblogger, A.C._ ** **💋**

* * *

 **Day +365** :

 

**14:00**

Marinette bounced from foot to foot nervously, shaking her hands at her sides, arms bent at the elbows as she blew out breaths through rounded cheeks.

“Ok, Marinette, you can do this,” she told herself.

Tikki hovered in front of her, fondly watching her chosen as she battled against her nerves.

“Oh, Marinette,” she said in her sweet, squeaky voice, “you’re going to do great.  Adrien’s going to love it!”

Marinette ceased her bouncing, allowing her hands to rest at her sides and she inhaled deeply and let it go.

“You’re right, I know,” she told her friend.  “It’s just, I’ve been planning this for so long, I’m terrified it isn’t going to go right.”

Her kwami gave her a caring, if knowing, look.

“Marinette, even if things don’t go exactly the way you want them to, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”

“I know, Tikki, you’re right,” she conceded.  “Everything’s going to turn out fine.” Tikki nodded satisfactorily.  It was clear from Marinette’s face, however, that she was still struggling slightly, warring internally with herself.  Finally, she exclaimed, “Oh, but, Tikki, what if he hates it?! He’d never tell me because he’s too nice! He’ll just smile through it to make me feel better!”

Tikki performed the equivalent of a facepalm (without the palms), shaking her head at her nervous human.  Some things never change.

“Marinette!”  The woman in front of her froze in place, mid-hand flap.  “You’ve got to get out of your head. You’re running out of time to get ready.  Just trust that everything will be alright.”

Marinette’s face was overcome by determination.

“Yes.  You’re right.  Tikki, let’s do this.”  And she turned on her heel, headed for the front door.

“Umm, Marinette, aren’t you forgetting something?”

Marinette froze once more, this time mid-stride, then glanced over her body and shrieked.

“It would be a little difficult to go to the market in your underwear, don’t you think?” the kwami offered helpfully.

Marinette dashed to the restroom, nearly slamming the door shut behind her before she turned on the shower.

* * *

**17:45**

Adrien’s leg fidgeted nervously as he sat on the metro, headed toward home.  Marinette had taken the day off of work at a local boutique, where she was interning as part of her design program.  Her excuse was Adrien, and spending the one-year anniversary of his father’s arrest with him, but there was more to it than that.  He knew full well the day was difficult for her as well. They went through it together, after all, in a much more personal sense than anyone in Paris realized.

Absentmindedly, his hand palmed the front his jacket, fingers twitching nervously as he continued to practically bounce in his seat.

Eventually, he disembarked at the stop closest to home, walking the short distance back to the apartment he still shared with Marinette, though he hoped that it would not be for much longer.  As wonderful as the place had been for a first venture on their own, it wasn’t big enough for the life he planned with her, and he was hoping to get started on that as soon as possible, starting tonight.

Marinette would have been preparing dinner, as they planned to eat in privacy, away from prying eyes on the momentous date, but they also planned for a jaunt across the city as Ladybug and Chat Noir once night fell, both as a treat for themselves, and to give the city a symbol of their dedication to continuing to protect them.  He couldn’t wait.

As he stepped inside the front door, he was greeted with a plethora of wonderful aromas.  Whatever Marinette was cooking smelled amazing, and he walked closer to the kitchen where a myriad of scents attracted his interest.

Passing into the kitchen, he found Marinette stirring something on the stove, her back to him, humming to herself as she swayed slightly to the music in her head.  For a moment, Adrien only stood there, overcome by how genuinely adorable his girlfriend was, besotted grin appearing crookedly on his face.

As though she could sense someone watching her, Marinette’s head turned to look at him, still somehow surprised to see him standing there, face flushing slightly from embarrassment.

“A- Adrien, I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Mmm, indeed, Bugaboo,” he responded, sly smirk overtaking his features, and he prowled closer, hand coming around her waist as he hugged her from behind and placed a soft kiss on the juncture between her neck and shoulder.

“Wha-” she said breathily, clearing her throat.  “What are you, a cat?”

“ _Mmm_ ,” the blond affirmed, firmly nipping the skin his lips had just been ghosting over.

Marinette giggled and gasped at the same time, making the sound come out airy.

“ _Naughty kitty_.”

Adrien chuckled deeply.

“ _I’ll show you how naughty I can be_.”

In an instant, Marinette had spun around in his arms, noses brushing as she looked into his eyes, her own narrowed.

“Not yet, Chaton.”

At his responding pout, she smirked, then touched the spoon in her hand to his protruding lower lip.  Before he had a chance to lick it, though, she closed the rest of the distance between them and took the same lip in her mouth, sucking on it languorously before pulling back and licking her own in satisfaction.

“Mmm.  Delicious.”

Adrien gawked at her, heat pooling at his groin.  Recovering, he slid his hands from her waist down to her hips and gripped tighter, leaning in.

But Marinette leaned back, further from his lips.

“Nah-ah-ah,” she tutted, extracting herself from his hold and smirking as she turned off the stove, motioning for him to sit down.  He complied, albeit a bit begrudgingly.

As Adrien sat there, Marinette placed a plate of coq au vin in front of him, simmered to perfection and covered in a rich Burgundy wine reduction sauce.  The man was practically starving, having skipped lunch because his nerves were getting to him all day, and the food looked exquisite. Still, when Adrien looked up into his partner’s eyes, the hunger in his own was for something else entirely.

He drew a hand slowly up underneath the hem of her dress, reaching higher and higher on her inner thigh.

“Absolutely divine, my lady,” he purred seductively, “but perhaps just this one time, we can have dessert first.”

Marinette watched him as his hand slid dangerously higher, coming into contact with the lace of her panties, then leaned over him with a fire lighting in her eyes.  She brought her open mouth next to his ear, ghosting ever so slightly against its ridge as her breath tickled the microscopic hairs.

“ _Nice try, Minou_ ,” she whispered, then pulled back triumphantly and flounced away to ready a plate for herself.  Adrien readjusted himself in his pants to alleviate some of the discomfort he was experiencing in that region, then cleared his throat.  Marinette pretended like she didn’t notice, holding in a throaty chuckle.

They shared the meal, discussing each other’s days, occasionally stopping to share a soft kiss before resuming the conversation.  As dinner drew to a close, Marinette cleared plates and served tarte tatin for dessert, much to Adrien’s pleasant surprise.

After suggesting a walk despite the cool night, they both donned their coats and ventured downstairs, emerging into the brisk air.  As the park came into view, Marinette became visibly more nervous, fidgeting with her waist tie and the ends of her scarf. Adrien watched her bemusedly, distracted briefly from his own thoughts.  Their jaunt as masked heroes was only a couple of hours away, and he was beginning to feel anxious that things wouldn’t work out the way he planned.

Suddenly, Marinette came to a stop beside him and turned to face him directly.  In the back of his mind, Adrien mused that it was the same bench they sat on several months before when he awkwardly announced his intention to propose to her... someday.  As he continued to observe the woman in front of him, she closed her eyes in apparent nervousness, flapping her hands in front of her as though trying to shake something off of them.

“Ok,” she said, eyes popping open.  “Adrien. This has been the most difficult and wonderful year of my life, and even though we went through so much to get where we are now, I wouldn’t change any of it if it meant I couldn’t have you.”  The man before her watched her in wonder. “Adrien, I love you, and I’ve loved you since you gave your umbrella to a stubborn, clumsy girl who wouldn’t give you the time of day. I’ve loved you since that clumsy girl fell out of the sky and tangled us together in a magic yo-yo.  And I’ve loved you since you looked at me with those endless green eyes and made me yours just by being you. That was it for me. There was never going to be another person, no matter what.”

Beside them, the lights to the carousel came on, and the music started up as the horses began to prance in their fixed positions.  Marinette beamed.

“This is the spot, when you first told me you wanted to marry me, and that was the moment when I knew I had to do this.”  As Adrien watched, Marinette lowered herself down to one knee, drawing a box out of her coat pocket and holding it out in front of them.  The height disparity was so great with her on her knees and him standing, that suddenly she realized it probably wasn’t the best idea, looking down awkwardly at herself.  Before she could get up, though, he got down on both his knees and joined her on the ground.

“Adrien, will you-”

“Yes!” he cut her off before she could finish, causing both of them to laugh at his eagerness.

She opened the box, still laughing breathlessly, and inside was a black ring in the shape of a cat’s head.  The mouth gaped open, forming the ring itself, fangs and ears protruding. For its eyes, two emeralds gleamed.  Adrien stared at it in stunned awe.

“Adrien Chat Noir Agreste, will you marry me?”

He could only nod mutely, unable to find words to express just how earnestly he meant it.  She laughed again, eyes full of tears of joy, and removed the band from the box as he raised up his left hand, still speechless.  

“I told you I’d propose to you first,” she teased through a grin.  Adrien looked down to view the ring resting on his finger, but the image was blurred, and he realized suddenly that he was crying.

“Bugaboo, you- Marinette, my lady, how did you...?”  His voice trailed off as he searched her face, unsure of what exactly he was trying to say, then he looked down at his left hand again.  “It’s perfect.”

And before she could react, his lips were against hers, hands cradling the sides of her face, carousel lights and music still going in the background as she brought her arms up to wrap around his neck and pull him tighter.

Then there was a loud whistle, and they pulled apart in surprise, both turning in the direction of the noise and seeing Nino and Alya, as well as Marinette’s parents, and even Emilie coming toward them, leaning on Tom’s arm for support.

Rising, Marinette broke down into hearty laughter, incapable of stemming the joy bubbling out of her.  Adrien was quickly in the same state, unable to believe just how much his life had turned around in a year- unable to describe how much this day meant to him, the fact that she clearly chose _this specific_ _day_ for such a momentous occasion not escaping his notice.  In one evening, the day had been rewritten, all its painful memories so much _less_ now as they were overwritten by others new and beautiful.

Congratulations were given all around.  The park began to fill with more people as the night grew later.  They remained in each other’s company until the cold became a bit too much, and the time for Ladybug and Chat Noir’s appearance drew closer.  Adrien bid his mother, friends, and future in-laws goodbye, waving as they walked in different directions with a subtle wink to a certain reporter.  As Marinette looked away, the redhead returned the gesture, giving one last wave before she turned away and disappeared into the distance.

* * *

**21:30**

The newly engaged couple re-entered their apartment two hours after departing for their long “walk,” well aware of their plans to transform and take a run across the rooftops, but reluctant to let go of each other’s lips for long enough to even call for their transformations.

As the door slammed shut, they stumbled, mouths indivisibly merged, hands sliding frantically over each other’s bodies, pushing against each other in an amorous battle for dominance.  As Adrien gained the upper hand, he pressed Marinette against the wall, leg sliding between her own, bulge in his pants firmly prodding against her pelvis. He slid his hands down her legs, gripping the backs of her thighs solidly and lifting her up to straddle him as he held her up, undulating against her core.

Marinette keened in response, lifting her chin as much as possible in the tight space she inhabited as Adrien nibbled on her jaw and neck.  Suddenly, there was an obnoxious sound, startling them out of their hormonal stupor, and Adrien dropped Marinette’s legs to the ground as they both looked at each other, mouths open, breathing hard, eyes heavily lidded.

“ _Shit_ ,” he muttered, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out his phone, which was alerting him it was time for their appearance as superheroes.  Adrien reached down, awkwardly resituating himself for the second time that evening as Marinette giggled knowingly.

“Problem, Chaton?” she asked cheekily.

Adrien growled, leaning down and pressing a firm kiss to her lips.

“We’ll finish this later,” he vowed, and she swallowed from the intensity in his stare, the deep rasp of his voice, which were causing heat to pool between her own legs.

His gaze didn’t waver as he called, “Claws out!”

Marinette’s face flushed as she watched Chat Noir appear before her.  The sight of him transforming never got old, especially not when she was as affected as she was in that moment.

Still panting slightly, Marinette breathed, “Spots on.”

They took each other’s hands, heading for the apartment balcony, and flew off into the Parisian skyline.

* * *

**22:15**

Getting closer to the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug began to slow down, looking below her in confusion.  As the two of them landed near the top of the structure, she gazed down in wonder at the hundreds of people below.

“What’s going on?” she asked to no one in particular.  “I thought the city-wide celebration was over hours ago.”

Chat Noir watched her, nearly brimming with some kind of nervous energy.

“They’re here for us, my lady.”

Ladybug looked at him and cocked her head, still bewildered.

“But, how did they know we would be here?”

Chat grinned, but behind that smile, his partner could detect some apprehension.

“You trust me Ladybug?” he questioned, despite knowing the answer.

She continued to look at him in perplexion.

“Of course, Chaton.”

“Then close your eyes,” he commanded softly, and she complied.

There was the sound of rustling, and Ladybug felt herself being led closer to the edge of the platform they were standing on.

“Just, don’t move, my lady.”

She nodded in confirmation, still at a loss as to what was going on.

It was a few more minutes (maybe less, but it was hard to tell when she couldn’t see anything) before she finally heard.

“Ok, open them.”

Immediately, her eyes blew wide, and before her was vast, empty air, but as her vision traveled lower, she could see that on the ground, there were hundreds of people holding candles in the darkness of the night.  As she studied the oddity longer, she realized that the people holding candles were positioned very strategically. The lights formed letters, the letters formed words, and the words formed a single sentence:

_MARRY ME LADYBUG_

Ladybug let out an incredulous breath, disbelieving that what she was seeing was real.  Then she whipped around, a sound drawing her attention behind her, where Chat Noir stood holding a microphone in one hand, a single red rose in the other.  Behind him, she noticed some video and audio equipment, and a monitor showing live footage of them, positioned off to the side and currently catching their profiles.

He drew closer, eyes focused and intense, microphone held low next to his leg.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” he began quietly, making sure it wasn’t loud enough to be caught by the microphone, lest anyone should hear her real name.  Then he raised the device to his lips, holding out the rose to her, which she accepted as he continued in an echoing voice. “My lady, you’ve taken this unlucky cat and given him love, a home, something to look forward to every day.”  In the next moment, he was kneeling down on one knee, and it was so much less comical than when Marinette had tried it a few hours before. Face beaming, he pulled out a small box from somewhere behind him and opened it to reveal a beautiful ruby ring, surrounded by black diamonds and set in a white gold band.  “It would make me the happiest man in the world, if you would be mine forever. Bugaboo, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” the scarlet hero cried, throwing her arms around his neck as he tried to stand and nearly knocking the two of them to the floor.  Below, the crowd let out a deafening cheer, though it was slightly muffled by the distance.

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Ladybug laughed blissfully as her partner slid the ring onto her finger, wasting no time before crashing their lips together to the delight of everyone watching.  When they pulled away, their faces were overcome by grins, foreheads coming to rest against each other as the cold air lingered unnoticed between them.

“Everything, Chat Noir, you’re my everything.”

“My lady, I could never tell you how much you mean to me.”

She laughed again, gaze turning to take in the people down below.

“But, how did you- Chat, we both-”

“I know, my lady.  I guess we were just made for each other.”

“But you know what this means, Chat, don’t you?”

He looked at her quizzically.

“It means we’re going to have to have two weddings.”

Chat’s jaw dropped, suddenly realizing something he had never considered before.

He recovered quickly, however, smirking to his fiance (times two).

“Good.  Marrying you once isn’t enough, anyway.  I propose we do it again every year.”

Ladybug scoffed.

“Chaton, that’s crazy!  We can’t do that- it’s not realistic, not to mention, can you imagine trying to plan it over again year after year?”

“That’s ok, I’ll just get Alya to help.  She’s the one who helped me orchestrate this in the first place.”

It was Ladybug’s turn to gape.

“Why do you think I made you promise to stay off the Ladyblog and news sites for the last few days?  She was setting it all up.”

“Chat, I thought you just didn’t want me to have to read anything about the anniversary.”

“Well, yea, that, too, but that was mostly an excuse.”

Her deadpan look was met with a shit-eating grin.

“Alya helped me, too, with the carousel,” she told him, laughing at the irony.  “You’re really too much, you know that Minou?”

“Yea, but you love me,” he countered, raising her left hand to kiss the back of her knuckles.

“That I do, Chaton.”

From the ground, they could hear a chant growing.

“KISS! KISS! KISS! KISS! KISS! KISS! KISS! KISS!”

Ladybug smirked at her partner, overwhelmed by just how much love she had for him.

“Better give the people what they want,” she said through a smile, drawing closer to her partner and fiance.

Chat’s face split into his trademark grin as he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned down, head tilting to the side, breath ghosting over her lips.

“As you wish, princess.”

As their lips met again, captured on camera and streamed on every television station and news media outlet, all of Paris went wild.

Parting, the heroes let out a collective sigh and waved in tandem to their city, to the people they loved and watched over.  Together, they launched off of the tower and into the night, Ladybug dropping her rose purposely for some lucky citizen to catch.  

All of Paris waved back, watching the pair soar into the distance, and Chat let out a joyous whoop, eager to get home.  After all, he and his lady had some unfinished business to attend to.

 

_Fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, they proposed to each other on the same day! *swoon* These two kids! Gives me feeeels. I fuckin' love 'em :) 
> 
> I've tweaked it, and tweaked it, and tweaked it, and it's still not perfect, but I'm satisfied! I hope this story has been as enjoyable and emotional for you all as it has for me! It's been such a wonderful, pleasant experience to write and share! Each kudo and comment has been so deeply appreciated, I couldn't even describe! I hope the ending (and the story in general) was satisfactory, and I look forward to seeing you all here again. I hope to get some ideas down for a new fic, and if there's anything you specifically would like to see, I'm always open to suggestions!
> 
> So, did you like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know what you think! Thank you all so much for the support, I'm so honored! If you're interested in knowing when my next story comes out, subscribe! <3


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